Today it became known that the Russian punitive authorities intend to sentence 67-year-old historian and publicist Alexander Skobov to 18 years in prison on charges of “justifying terrorism” and participating in a “terrorist organization” — by which Putin’s thugs evidently mean the Free Russia Forum.
Alexander Skobov is our long-time comrade, a participant in nearly all Free Russia Forums and a member of its Council. He has dedicated his life to the fight against injustice, violence, and tyranny. During the Soviet era, Skobov was repeatedly subjected to punitive psychiatry — a common practice at the time used against dissidents.
Under Putin’s dictatorship, he continued to speak out consistently against the regime’s brutality and cruelty. He was among the first to point out the fascist nature of the dictatorship, and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he took the firmest, most uncompromising stance against the aggressor.
Alexander Skobov is the only member of the Free Russia Forum Council who has remained in the country during these dark times. He met the regime’s enforcers in his native city of St. Petersburg, fully aware that arrest meant a death sentence for him. Skobov consciously sacrificed himself to set an example of resilience and fearlessness for others.
There is no doubt that Alexander Skobov will be found guilty and sentenced to a term close to what the criminal prosecutors are demanding. Skobov suffers from serious health conditions, including impaired vision, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. It is absolutely clear that a Stalinist sentence will mean death in the regime’s dungeons.
Everyone involved in the persecution of Alexander Skobov will be added to the “Putin List,” and we will make every effort to ensure that they are subjected to harsh sanctions in Western countries. In the future Free Russia, they will face a tribunal and inevitable punishment for their crimes.
Alexander Skobov is a man of exceptional integrity, courage, and resilience. In the face of prison and possible death, he is waging a selfless, solitary war against Putin’s evil. His weapon is the word and the truth. Putin’s executioners may succeed in killing him, but what they will never achieve is breaking his will. In this statement, we will not appeal to the conscience or compassion of Putin’s thugs. Instead, we recall the words Alexander Skobov spoke in court on February 24, 2025:
“Putin’s Russia has become a generator of absolute evil, a mortal danger to the outside world and its own population. This danger must be eliminated just as the threat once posed by Hitler’s Reich was eliminated. Tanks that invade foreign lands cannot be stopped with calls for peace and appeals to conscience. Tanks feel no shame. Tanks can only be stopped by other tanks. Therefore – more tanks for Ukraine! Death to the Russian-fascist invaders! Death to Putin – the new Hitler, murderer and executioner! Glory to Ukraine!”
Council of the Free Russia Forum
March 18, 2025
UPD: Alexander Skobov jailed for 16 years
