52-year-old Russian political prisoner Igor Yakovenko dies in Krasnodar detention center after being returned for “palliative care”

Igor Yakovenko, a 52-year-old Russian political prisoner, passed away at Krasnodar’s Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 after being returned there for "palliative care." This marks the ninth political prisoner death in Russian custody since the beginning of 2026, according to The Insider's count. Human rights advocates believe Yakovenko suffered from an inoperable brain tumor.

A few days before his death, he underwent medical examinations and was then transferred to the detention center for what was supposedly palliative care. Prior to his imprisonment, Yakovenko had been sentenced to five years in prison on May 3, 2025, by the Southern District Military Court on charges of preparing to join a terrorist organization.

Prosecutors claimed that in May 2025, Yakovenko started corresponding with a person linked to the Freedom of Russia Legion, a group designated as a terrorist organization by Russian authorities. Yakovenko allegedly planned to travel to Ukraine and send the individual a completed application form to join the Legion. FSB officers apprehended him two days later.

While Yakovenko's intentions remain unclear, Memorial, a human rights organization, acknowledged him as a political prisoner. Human rights advocates noted that Memorial lacked access to the case files, making it difficult to determine whether Yakovenko genuinely intended to join the Legion or if he was a victim of an entrapment scheme.