Russian citizens Anton Chechin and Artem Gribul and Ukrainian national Serhii Kukharchuk, arrested during the early phase of the anti-government protests in Tbilisi, now face a new criminal charge for allegedly playing cards in prison. The charges could result in an additional sentence of up to five years.
According to Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, the three men held together in a single cell at Tbilisi’s Gldani No. 8 Prison committed the offense on 5 October 2025. Under prison regulations, cards are listed as a prohibited item.
Chechin’s lawyer Mariam Jikia told OC Media the prosecution claimed that the cards were made from cardboard by a Lithuanian inmate, and that Chechin, Gribul, and Kukharchuk used them.
Jikia said the three men have not admitted to playing with the cards and are instead exercising their right to remain silent.
The lawyer added that charges were brought against the three on 3 February 2026 — four months after the date when, according to the prosecution, they played with the cards.
‘For months, the prosecution took no steps toward bringing charges’, Jikia added.
By the time of charging the three, the Lithuanian prisoner had already been extradited. Jikia said he was never charged either before or after.
Chechin’s lawyer also emphasised that, before 5 October, the prison administration did not provide her client with the list of prohibited items in a language he could understand.
‘[The list] was given to him in writing only after 5 October’, she said.
All three prisoners have been charged under the criminal code article regulating the use of prohibited items in prison — as the Prosecutor General’s Office added an element of group involvement, each now faces three to five years in prison.
Kukharchuk, Chechin, and Gribul were detained in December 2024, shortly after daily anti-government protests began in Tbilisi in response to the government’s EU U-turn. The first phase of demonstrations saw heavy clashes and brutal police violence against protesters and journalists.
Kukharchuk was initially charged with violence during the protests, but the Tbilisi City Court later reclassified the charge as a public order offense, sentencing him to two years in prison.
As for Chechin and Gribul, they were accused of drug-related offenses, but both denied the charges and argued that their arrest was linked to their participation in the Tbilisi protests. The court sentenced each of them to 8.5 years in prison.
Mariam Nikuradze
