The following is our review of anti-extremist law enforcement in September 2025.

We recorded 24 convictions issued in September against 32 individuals for involvement with extremist and terrorist groups and organizations whose activities we monitor, including neo-Nazi groups such as the White Color (Belaya Mast), the Russian Volunteer Corps (Russkiy dobrovolcheskiy korpus, RDK), the Freedom of Russia Legion (Legion "Svoboda Rossii," LSR), the Islamic State, and the AUE criminal subculture. We classified 16 of those convictions against 17 individuals as inappropriate. They were issued for involvement with Jehovah's Witnesses and the "international LGBT movement," as well as for donations to the banned Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).

22 people were sentenced to imprisonment, three to suspended sentences, one to forced labor, and six to fines.

Since the beginning of the year, we have learned of 194 convictions in this category against 308 people. Of these, 105 sentences against 157 people are clearly inappropriate.

We learned that at least 14 new such cases were opened in September against at least 27 individuals. They are being charged with involvement with the neo-Nazi networks NS/WP and Maniacs. Murder Cult (Manyaki. Kult Ubiystv, MKU), the football fan group T.O.Y.S., the Artpodgotovka movement , the Volya party, or Jehovah's Witnesses communities, as well as with financing the FBK.

We have information on 63 convictions handed down in September against 71 individuals under the Criminal Code articles on public statements that are of interest to us. We believe that 19 verdicts against 23 individuals were wholly or partially inappropriate.

Convictions can be grouped into the following partly overlapping categories:

• 19 people were convicted for expressing ethnic xenophobia, primarily for posting statements against Jews, Roma, Russians, and other unspecified nationalities on social media, such as VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, and Telegram. In particular, Zinnur Agliullin, a member of the Tatar People's Party "Renaissance" (Yanarysh Tatar Halyk Partiyase),  was convicted for making anti-Russian statements in the Tatar language in a voice chat on the party's Telegram channel. Two people faced sanctions for repeatedly displaying tattoos or images of Nazi swastikas.
• Three people were sentenced for statements related to religious xenophobia (against infidels, Muslims, and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church).
• Eight people faced sanctions for statements against the authorities posted on social media (VKontakte and Telegram). Mikhail Oreshnikov, formerly a member of the far-right Restrukt movement and the leader of the Occupy Pedophiliay cell in Cheboksary, left for Ukraine in 2014, joined the Azov battalion, and, in 2022, founded an organization advocating for the independence of Chuvashia. Oreshnikov was convicted in absentia for making threats against the head of the local chapter of the Centre for Combating Extremism on his "Free Chuvashia" Telegram channel, and against an FSB officer on the phone.
  
• 38 people were sentenced for statements regarding the armed conflict with Ukraine. We consider 18 of these cases to be wholly or partially inappropriate.
• Five people were convicted for statements that the authorities deemed an attack against traditional Russian values and symbols, such as the days of military glory, symbols of military glory, and feelings of believers. We consider all these sentences inappropriate.

54 out of 71 convicted individuals made their statements online, five offline, and nine were found guilty for both online and offline speech.

41 individuals were sentenced to imprisonment, ten received suspended sentences, ten faced fines, two were sentenced to compulsory labor, and one to community service. Three defendants were released from criminal liability and referred for compulsory treatment. One woman was released from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Though we lack information about the circumstances that specifically led to prison sentences, 29 people faced such sentences for their public speech in September.

Since the beginning of 2025, we have learned of 446 convictions for public speech against 468 individuals. Of these, 123 convictions against 133 individuals we deem completely or partially inappropriate.

We have information about 21 new criminal cases opened in September against 22 people for public speech under the articles of interest to us.

We identified 38 court rulings on administrative offenses issued in September under Article 20.3.1 CAO (incitement to hatred or enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity) mostly for xenophobic statements on VKontakte,Odnoklassniki, and Telegram targeting natives of Central Asia or the Caucasus, migrants, non-Russians, Russians, and Muslims. We regard ten rulings as inappropriate: a Volgograd resident was fined eight times for posts humiliating the dignity of police officers; a retiree from Novokuznetsk was fined for a "citizens of the USSR" post about the insanity of Russians. A court ordered the arrest of St. Petersburg artist Artyom Kiryanov for his posts featuring a photograph of activists dressed as vampires with a "Ghouls Vote for Putin" banner and “The Expulsion of Shoigu from Paradise" painting by artist Alyosha Stupin (Igor Ponochevny). These posts were found to contain signs of inciting hatred toward Putin voters and Christians, respectively.

Two people faced responsibility for their offline actions – for xenophobic insults directed at a manicurist in a beauty salon and at a woman wearing a Muslim headscarf at an Ozon pickup point. The others committed their offenses online. Two people were sentenced to administrative arrest, one to community service, and the others faced fines. We consider ten of these prosecutions inappropriate.

Since the beginning of the year, we know of 531 court decisions under Article 20.3.1 CAO. We classified 109 of them as inappropriate.

We know of only six people punished in September under Article 20.29 CAO (production and distribution of extremist materials). Their offenses included posting Timur Mutsuraev's songs on VKontakte, posting a prohibited slogan on Telegram, and delivering a banned book to a temporary detention facility. One person was punished for a "How to Convert to Islam" brochure found in his car, and we view this decision as inappropriate.

Since the beginning of the year, we have learned of 124 cases of penalties imposed for distributing materials from the Federal List of Extremist Materials. We consider 36 of these decisions inappropriate.

The list itself featured no new additions in September. However, it is likely to grow – on September 15, the St. Petersburg City Court received an administrative lawsuit from the city's deputy prosecutor seeking to recognize as extremist the book titled "Сhronicles of the Revived Arkanar" (Khroniki vozrozhdyonnogo Arkanara), by St. Petersburg politician Boris Vishnevsky. We see no grounds for banning this book.

Two new entries were added to the List of Extremist Organizations in September. First, it included a certain "International Satanism Movement" (an alternative name provided is "International Satanist Movement"), banned in July 2025. Yet another "association" of Ukrainian business leaders was added to the list – this time, the owners of the alcoholic beverage company Bayadera Holding.

The Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, a Belarusian formation fighting on the Ukrainian side, as well as its structural units, has been added to the list of terrorist organizations.

See another review for information on prosecution of hate-motivated crimes against persons or property.