Lyudmila Razumova

Lyudmila Razumova, born 1967, is an artist and political prisoner who was sentenced to seven years in prison. She and her husband, Alexander, were arrested and charged with “vandalism” and “spreading false information about the Russian military”.

The couple was accused of painting anti-war messages on social media about Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, as well as creating anti-war graffiti in different villages bearing slogans such as “Peace to Ukraine”, “Putin is a thief”, and “Putin to the Hague”.

After they were arrested, all the anti-war graffiti was removed from the walls, and the authorities painted over the anti-war signs. Lyudmila’s husband was tortured, and Lyudmila herself was physically assaulted.

Since the beginning of her detention, Lyudmila has faced psychological pressure and torture. She was even locked in a punishment cell on numerous occasions for fabricated reasons. She was repeatedly denied basic hygiene and other necessities.

In 2024 and 2025 she was placed in solitary confinement multiple times for refusing to cooperate with the prison administration.

A second criminal case was initiated against Lyudmila in 2025. She was acting in self-defence when she was attacked by prison guards, who beat and strangled her. However, Lyudmila who was sentenced in the end, while the guards went unpunished by the authorities.

Her sentence was extended by two years, and she is now expected to spend nine years in prison.

Lyudmila still spends a lot of time drawing to document her experiences and what she has to endure in prison.

“I don’t think these videos are fake. When I see drone footage of bombed Kharkiv, I know it’s Kharkiv that has been bombed – there’s no other way to interpret it. I know all about the roots of this war and its consequences. And yes, I am scared, as a woman, as a free and honest human being, because war is the worst thing invented by humanity.”

Lyudmila Razumova.