Nikita Zhuravel, previously convicted in Chechnya for burning the Koran and who went silent while being transported, has been found in a prison colony in the Ulyanovsk region. This was reported by human rights activist Eva Merkacheva, citing the prisoner's mother.

According to her, Zhuravel wrote a letter to his family on March 26, claiming he was alive and well. His family lost contact with him in December 2023, despite assurances from the Federal Penitentiary Service regarding his whereabouts.

As a reminder, Nikita Zhuravel, detained in Volgograd in May 2023, was charged with burning the Koran on orders from the SBU. The case was transferred to Chechnya, where he was beaten on video by Adam Kadyrov, the 15-year-old son of the head of the republic.

In February 2024, a court in Grozny sentenced Zhuravel to 3.5 years in prison for insulting religious feelings and hooliganism. Later, in October 2024, he was charged with treason, and his sentence was increased to 14 years. According to investigators, he transmitted a video from a train carrying Russian military equipment and aircraft to an SBU officer. Human rights activists note the lack of direct evidence of his guilt and the possibility that his confession was coerced. The Memorial Human Rights Center has recognized Zhuravel as a political prisoner.