The only candidate from Russia’s Komi region to call for peace in last month’s parliamentary elections has been detained on suspicion of ‘justifying terrorism’

Oleg Mikhailov, the sole candidate from Russia's Komi region to advocate for peace during last month's parliamentary elections, has been apprehended on accusations of "justifying terrorism." According to the Telegram channel Novaya Respublika and the BNK news agency, the regional branch of Russia's Communist Party has validated his arrest.

Novaya Respublika further disclosed that Mikhailov was charged for "justifying terrorism" following a 2024 post regarding sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky, who was penalized with five years in a penal colony for the same offense in 2024. Mikhailov is under temporary detention in a facility, and a court will determine on October 22 whether to retain him in custody or impose additional restrictions leading to his trial.

The charge he is alleged to have violated, Part 2 of Article 205.2 of Russia's Criminal Code, may result in a fine or a sentence ranging from five to seven years in prison, as per Novaya Respublika. Mikhailov is the head of the Communist Party's regional branch in Komi and a former member of the republic's State Council. He secured his seat in the State Duma in September 2021 from a single-member district.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he has faced sanctions from the European Union, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and Ukraine. Additionally, the United States sanctioned him for enacting a law against "fake news" about the military, despite never voting for it. During the 2026 State Duma election, Mikhailov placed second in Syktyvkar's single-member district, losing to a candidate who participated in the war. In the run-up to the vote, an attempt was made to disqualify him from the ballot.