Communist Party (KPRF) members interviewed by Verstka described arrests and criminal cases involving party activists following Russia’s 2026 State Duma election. In the November 3 report, some linked the pressure to communists who had challenged the authorities, while federal government sources interviewed by the outlet framed it as part of a broader crackdown on protest groups.
One central case concerns former State Duma deputy Oleg Mikhailov, detained by FSB officers on October 21 and remanded in custody by Moscow’s Basmanny court the next day. He is accused under Article 205.2(2) of Russia’s Criminal Code of publicly justifying terrorism online. Mikhailov denies guilt. His party colleagues link the case to social media posts supporting other prosecuted left-wing figures, but that remains their interpretation.
Verstka also examined the detention of former Murmansk regional assembly deputy speaker Gennady Stepakhno on treason allegations, an attempted-fraud case against district party leader Alexander Sukhin in Borisoglebsk and the detention of Izhevsk activist Dmitry Morozov over drug-possession allegations. Party membership alone does not establish a political motive for any particular case.
Some party members say the KPRF leadership may need to reconsider its strategy of accommodation with the Kremlin. Sources quoted by the outlet differ on whether the pressure is directed at the party as an organization or at its more protest-minded members.