Kremlin Says There Are No Political Prisoners in Russia

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow has not discussed the possible release of political prisoners with the United States in exchange for easing US sanctions, because the Russian authorities deny that political prisoners exist in the country.

As reported by Novaya Gazeta Europe, Peskov was commenting on a September 29 article in The Atlantic about a possible proposal to ease sanctions in exchange for the release of some US citizens held in Russian prisons.

“Such a proposal could not have been discussed because we categorically deny the existence of any political prisoners,” Peskov said.

At the same time, independent human rights organizations continue to document cases of people persecuted in Russia on political grounds. The issue of political prisoners has also been raised in international appeals and negotiations.

One example is the case of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, two Indigenous rights defenders who have been held in pre-trial detention in Moscow since December 2025. Egereva, a Selkup human rights defender and climate activist, was detained on December 17 after returning from the UN climate conference COP30. She and Leongardt face charges under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code in connection with the so-called Forum of Free States Post Russia and face up to 20 years in prison.

Earlier, on September 20, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Novaya Gazeta co-founder Dmitry Muratov called on US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to raise the issue of releasing Russian political prisoners during their contacts with Vladimir Putin.

Free Daria and Natalia!