The EU sanctions ten Russian officials for torture, political trials, and repression against civil society.
Brussels, November 20, 2025 - The Council of the European Union has imposed sanctions against ten new individuals responsible for serious violations of human rights and the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Russia. The measures mainly target the leadership of the Pre-trial Detention Center No. 2 (SIZO-2) in Taganrog, where Ukrainian detainees and regime opponents have been subjected to systematic torture, as well as judges and prosecutors involved in political convictions. The legal acts have been published in the EU Official Journal.
According to official documents, in the centers under the authority of those listed, detainees were repeatedly subjected to beatings, electric shocks, severe food deprivation, lack of medical care and legal assistance, being forced to confess to fabricated crimes, including war crimes or terrorism. At least 15 people have died as a result of the treatments applied, including Ukrainian journalist Victoria Volodymyrivna Roshchyna, who died in September 2024 due to torture in the SIZO-2 center in Taganrog.
Among the sanctioned individuals is Andrey Polyakov, head of the penitentiary service for the Rostov region, responsible for SIZO-2, SIZO-1, and colony No. 12 in Kamensk-Shakhtinski. The EU considers him directly responsible for acts of torture, inhumane treatment, deprivation of fundamental rights of detainees, and violation of the rule of law. Alongside him, the deputy responsible for security Andrey Mikhailichenko, educational director Andrey Sapitskiy, and SIZO-2 director Aleksandr Shtoda have been added, all involved in the application of torture and systemic abuses against Ukrainian prisoners and other detainees.
The list also includes five judges and prosecutors involved in the political convictions of Russian opponents and associates of Alexei Navalny. The EU sanctions judge Timur Vakhrameev, military judge Maksim Panin, judge Marina Ushakova, and vice president of the Military Court of Appeal Boris Kozhevnikov for their role in convicting civic activists, independent journalists, and lawyers associated with the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Additionally, prosecutor Svetlana Rygalova has been added to the list for charging activist Alexei Gorinov under Article 205.2 regarding "justification of terrorism," in a trial considered political and unfair.
Sanctioned officials will be subject to asset freezes, and EU citizens and companies are prohibited from providing them with funds or economic resources. Furthermore, they cannot enter or transit through the territory of the Union. The measures are part of a framework introduced in March 2024 to sanction individuals responsible for internal repression in Russia and undermining democracy and the rule of law. With the new set of sanctions, 62 individuals and one entity are targeted under this regime.
The Council states that the human rights situation in Russia continues to deteriorate, especially in the context of aggression against Ukraine. The Union emphasizes its firm commitment to accountability in cases of torture, political repression, and violations of fundamental freedoms. Implementing Regulation 2025/2356 and Decision 2025/2357, which include details about the sanctioned individuals, came into effect upon their publication in the Official Journal.
SIZO-2 Taganrog is a pre-trial detention center under the authority of the Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation for the Rostov region. In the official EU documents, SIZO-2 is described as a place where serious acts of torture and inhumane treatment against Ukrainian detainees, both civilians and military, as well as against other individuals in the custody of Russian authorities, have been systematically committed. According to official European data, detainees in SIZO-2 were subjected to repeated beatings, electric shocks, severe food deprivation, and were denied medical care or access to legal assistance. During interrogations, they were physically and psychologically coerced to sign fabricated testimonies regarding war crimes, terrorism, or other offenses.
The EU officially documents that at least fifteen people have died as a result of the treatment applied in SIZO-2, including Ukrainian journalist Victoria Volodymyrivna Roshchyna, who died in September 2024 due to torture. The management of the center, director Aleksandr Shtoda, deputies Andrey Mikhailichenko and Andrey Sapitskiy, as well as the regional head of the penitentiary system, Andrey Polyakov, are considered by the EU to be directly responsible for these human rights violations, for civil repression, and for undermining the rule of law in Russia. The description of the conditions in SIZO-2 made by the EU Council represents one of the most detailed and severe official assessments of abuses in a Russian detention center published so far by European institutions.
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