Russia’s Supreme Court has upheld a 14-year sentence against 20-year-old Nikita Zhuravel, who had previously been convicted on charges of ‘state treason’ and of burning a Quran. Zhuravel made headlines after Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov’s then-15-year-old son Adam beat him while in detention, after which Adam received multiple state awards.
In reviewing the appeal, the Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed the legality of all procedures carried out during the preliminary investigation and court hearings. The judicial panel stated that the sentence was in accordance with established criminal law and left it unchanged. The ruling takes effect immediately, and Zhuravel will remain in custody until he is transferred to a correctional facility to serve his sentence.
Zhuravel was born in Ukrainian Crimea, which was occupied by Russia in 2014. He studied at a cadet school and later at a university in Volgograd. In May 2023, Zhuravel was detained and charged in connection with a video showing a burning copy of the Quran in front of a mosque.
Soon afterwards, Zhuravel and his case were transferred to Chechnya on the instructions of the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexandr Bastrykin, despite this being contrary to the Russian criminal procedure code, which requires that alleged crimes be investigated where they occurred — in this case, Volgograd. Outside the detention centre in Grozny, Zhuravel was met by participants of a rally organised by local authorities, who called for a ‘people’s court’.
After his arrest, Zhuravel was beaten in the Grozny detention centre by Adam Kadyrov. Ramzan Kadyrov stated at the time that his son had defended religion by beating Zhuravel.
In February 2024, Zhuravel was sentenced by the Grozny court for burning the Quran. The court classified his actions as hooliganism and insulting the religious feelings of believers and imposed a sentence of three and a half years in a general-regime penal colony.
During the court hearings, Zhuravel apologised to Muslims and stated that he admitted his guilt in burning the book, but claimed that he had no motive for committing such a gross violation of public order.
A few months later, another criminal case was opened against Zhuravel, this time accusing him of ‘state treason’. In November 2024, he was also found guilty of cooperating with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). According to the investigation, he allegedly passed a video of a railway train carrying Russian military equipment and aircraft to an SBU officer.
There is no evidence confirming Zhuravel’s involvement, nor direct proof of his role in the Quran-burning video, as the author is not visible in the footage. The main basis for the investigation and the court’s decision was Zhuravel’s confession, which, according to human rights defenders at Memorial, was likely obtained under pressure from law enforcement.
Luiza Mchedlishvili
