Moscow (AFP) - Two Russians who accused the ruling party of winning September's legislative elections through fraud have been detained and reportedly tortured and beaten, in what critics say is a campaign of intimidation against those questioning the poll results.

Published on: 07/11/2026 - 13:07

The United Russia party, led by President Vladimir Putin, achieved a record result in the elections, against the backdrop of political repression that has intensified since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2022.

The Kremlin stated that the results showed an “exceptional level of rally” around Putin, despite the increasing economic challenges resulting from huge government spending on the war and Western sanctions.

Independent observers and human rights groups have long considered that elections in Russia are neither free nor fair.

Environmental activist Dmitry Morozov and political scientist Alexander Kenev were arrested on drug charges after they made public statements about election fraud.

Torture and electrocution

Morozov, 27 years old, is an environmental activist in the city of Izhevsk, about 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow. For more than a decade, he has worked hard to protect local parks and forests.

After the September elections, Morozov posted video clips on Telegram in which he said that “the elections were stolen” and that he witnessed “ballot box stuffing” operations on behalf of the United Russia party.

The Izhevsk authorities rejected his request to organize a protest against the results, arguing that the presence of a monument in the city square might pose a danger to the crowds, reasons that Morozov mocked.

Shortly after, members of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) searched the apartment of Morozov's parents, and said that they found 1.38 grams of a synthetic narcotic substance.

Morozov was arrested and then subjected to “torture,” according to his partner, Daria Pagina.

“During his arrest, he was beaten and electrocuted in the face, ribs and legs, and was hung by his feet while handcuffed,” Bajina wrote on social media.

She added, "After he was subjected to prolonged torture, they continued to kick him. They were trying to extract a confession from him, claiming that he had provided funding to Ukraine and to organizations classified on terrorist or extremist lists. But they did not succeed in that, as Dmitry had never participated in anything like this."

The Kremlin has previously denied the existence of cases of torture within the Russian legal system.

Morozov maintains his innocence.

According to his lawyer Denis Varlamov, defendants in similar drug cases usually receive suspended sentences.

“But the matter here is related to politics, so he was immediately detained without any scrutiny or discussion, and a precautionary measure was imposed on him,” according to the lawyer.

- Broken leg -

Human rights organizations recorded at least 20 arrests during the elections, most of which affected observers and opposition candidates.

In Moscow, engineer Alexander Pavlov (48 years old) was arrested for taking pictures inside a polling station. He was then “beaten, electrocuted, and handcuffed” by police officers, and detained for 48 hours, he told Agence France-Presse.

Weeks before the elections, the liberal democratic Yabloka party, which opposes the war in Ukraine, was banned from running in the federal legislative elections.

As for Kenev, he is a 51-year-old political science expert who enjoys international fame thanks to his accurate analyzes of the Russian elections. He remained in Russia despite his classification as a “foreign agent.”

At the end of September, Kenev stated that the percentage of votes obtained by the United Russia party and the volume of participation in the elections were much lower than officially announced.

On the same day, he wrote on social media that he felt “very tired” after four months of intense monitoring of the election campaign.

Two days later, he was arrested in Moscow and charged with drug trafficking “on a large scale.”

Kenniff faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

In turn, Kenev stated that he was beaten by the security services during his arrest.

During his appearance before a court in Moscow via video technology, Kenev appeared with a splint on his leg, and said that he had suffered a “double fracture.”

Kenev is being held with 35 other people in a cell that includes a toilet that is a hole in the floor, which “makes it impossible for someone wearing a cast that extends from his hip to the tips of his toes,” his lawyer, Mikhail Biryukov, told AFP.

That's why Kenniff stopped eating at the end of October while his supporters highlighted his plight on social media.

He was then transferred to another cell containing four other prisoners, which had a “normal toilet,” according to Biryukov.

Before his arrest, Keniff wrote on social media: “I did what I thought was necessary, and I will continue to do so.”

© 2026 AFP

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