Russian Opposition Activist Mikhail Kriger Commences Dry Hunger Strike in Solitary Confinement Protest

Imprisoned Russian opposition figure Mikhail Kriger has entered a dry hunger strike as of Friday to protest his ongoing isolation in solitary confinement, according to his supporters.

Kriger, 65, is currently serving a seven-year sentence at Correctional Colony No. 5 in the Oryol region. He initially began his hunger strike on September 25 and escalated to a dry hunger strike— refraining from both food and water—after a scheduled visit with his daughter was unexpectedly called off.

“The cancellation of our visit by the prison officials was the tipping point for him. I pleaded with him to eat, but everyone who knows my father understands that persuasion is futile,” his daughter Katya Kriger stated in a Facebook post on Friday.

Kriger has expressed his belief that prison authorities are intentionally trying to isolate him to inhibit communication with other inmates.

His support team reported that the prison administration intends to transfer Kriger to the medical unit for force-feeding should his health deteriorate significantly. He currently receives medical attention twice daily.

In 2023, Kriger was sentenced to seven years in prison for alleged anti-Kremlin social media messages that prosecutors claimed “justified terrorism” and “fomented hatred.”

He has consistently condemned the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine, asserting during his trial that he is being “persecuted” for his “anti-war and pro-Ukrainian stance.”

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Memorial has categorized Kriger as a political prisoner.

The anti-Kremlin group Pussy Riot has raised concerns over Kriger’s hunger strike and urged supporters to send letters to both Kriger and the prison authorities.

Shirley Manson, the frontwoman of the band Garbage, publicly urged the head of the prison to cease Kriger’s solitary confinement, labeling his hunger strike “a desperate measure by a man stripped of humane treatment and fundamental human interaction.”

“I implore you, as someone who possesses both power and moral responsibility, to terminate his isolation immediately and allow him to serve his sentence alongside the general inmate population,” Manson stated.

Kriger’s nephew, 24-year-old journalist Artyom Kriger, is also serving a 5.5-year prison sentence on “extremism” charges related to supposed connections with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Artyom Kriger and three other journalists were accused of “gathering, preparing, and editing materials” for Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation and the Navalny LIVE YouTube channel. His employer, the independent news outlet SOTA Vision, has firmly denied these allegations, asserting that he has never worked for Navalny’s organizations.

The Memorial group has likewise recognized Artyom Kriger as a political prisoner.