A Russian military court has sentenced a 23-year-old student to 15 years in prison for running a Telegram channel of memes about northern Russia. The "terrorist organization" the court ruled his 300-subscriber page belonged to includes more than 170 listed branches, among them the "Belgorod People's Republic" and the "Kursk People's Republic." Neither republic exists.
Rafael Mamedov, a student at Murmansk Arctic University, was convicted on 27 May of treason under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code and of participation in a terrorist organization under Part 2 of Article 205.5, the Moscow Times reported, citing the Russian rights monitor OVD-Info. The Northern Fleet Military Court ordered Mamedov to serve the first three years in prison and the remainder in a strict-regime penal colony. Prosecutors had sought 18 years. He did not admit guilt.
The "Free Lapland" channel
The channel—"Svobodnaya Laplandiya," or "Free Lapland"—posted memes, photographs, and historical and mythological material about the Lapland region. Investigators argued the content "caused harm" to Russia. Prosecutors also cited articles Mamedov wrote for the website of the "Coalition for Freedom from Imperial Tyrants," in which he criticized Russian authorities and discussed Russia's possible dissolution, Meduza reported.
The case rests on an earlier Russian court ruling that designated the "Forum of Free States of Post-Russia" a terrorist organization. That ruling listed more than 170 "branches" of the Forum. The "Svobodnaya Laplandiya" channel was placed on the list alongside fictional entities including the "Belgorod People's Republic" and the "Kursk People's Republic."
Antiwar stance and detention
Russian authorities detained Mamedov in May 2025. At his interrogation, he said he opposed Russia's war on Ukraine. He was initially charged with participation in a terrorist organization, then later additionally charged with treason. A support group run by friends and family said Mamedov never called for terrorism or violence and had only argued for preserving the cultural identity of peoples in Russia's northwestern regions and for closer ties with the Nordic countries.
Shortly before his arrest, Mamedov attempted suicide. Police detained him at a neuropsychiatric clinic in Murmansk and then formally arrested him. He attempted suicide twice more—once in pretrial detention, and again during a transfer between facilities.
Political prisoner designation
The Memorial human rights group has recognized Mamedov as a political prisoner. Memorial called the ban on the Forum of Free States of Post-Russia unlawful and the charges against Mamedov unfounded, and said his antiwar stance was a likely motivation for the prosecution.
