The relatives of the Sochi resident Shchus are worried about the threat of persecution against family members.

The father of the convicted Sochi engineer Alexey Shchus visits him in the colony but refuses to speak in detail about his son's situation, fearing consequences for the family. The relatives of the prisoner do not contact human rights activists.

As reported by “Caucasian Knot”, the human rights project “Political Prisoner Info” announced a collection of aid for the prisoner Alexey Shchus. In January 2025, the Khosta District Court of Sochi sentenced the engineer to five and a half years in a colony for spreading “fake” information about the army on the grounds of hatred and for making a slingshot. In April 2025, the Krasnodar Regional Court upheld the sentence.

The father of the engineer, who is serving his sentence in correctional colony No. 9 in Khadyzhensk, told “Caucasian Knot” that he maintains contact with his son: he visits him and brings necessary items. The 83-year-old Vasily Shchus refused to speak in detail about Alexey's situation, fearing that an open conversation with a journalist would create risks for himself and other relatives.

“I don’t want to go into too much detail over the phone,” explained Vasily Shchus and suggested discussing the details in person. “I don’t want to put any family members at risk,” he added. The man fears that due to careless words, he himself could end up in prison.

Previously, Alexey Shchus's relatives had already refused to comment to “Caucasian Knot”, citing pressure. In August 2024, the engineer's father stated that he does not consider his son guilty, while other family members refused to discuss the case.

The father visits his son in the colony

In October of last year, Vasily Shchus managed to spend three days with his son during a long visit in the colony. They were provided with a room in the correctional facility, equipped like a hotel. According to the father, he saw Alexey again in June of this year, and in September he visited the colony to bring items.

Alexey calls his father about once a week or every ten days; the father cannot call him back. The son uses the colony's duty phone, but, as the father noted, the quality of the connection can be poor.

The father assessed Alexey's well-being as “of average poor quality.” He did not specify what this is related to and did not mention specific complaints about the conditions of detention. He brings necessary items to his son himself. Vasily Shchus did not elaborate on the needed items and other needs of the prisoner.

Alexey still has about half of his sentence left to serve, Vasily Shchus added.

Vasily Shchus said he does not know of any organizations that help prisoners and is not ready to discuss their activities. “I don’t know any organizations,” he stated. The father does not use messengers, only a regular phone: he fears for the security of his personal information.

Alexey has a lawyer, the father reported. The defense representative confirmed to the correspondent of “Caucasian Knot” that the lawyer is in contact with both Alexey and his father. The lawyer's name is not disclosed at the request of the defense.

“We have gone through all instances up to the Supreme Court, and everywhere there was a refusal. Previously, one of the human rights organizations collected necessary items for Alexey, but now I don’t know who is doing this or if anyone is doing it at all. Regarding the conditions of detention, Alexey has not personally complained to me. It is clear that IK-9 is not a sanatorium…” said the defense representative.

“Political Prisoner Info” announced a collection of humanitarian aid for four prisoners, including Alexey Shchus. The organizers plan to send each 20,000 rubles to the prisoner's or their relatives' account. According to the project, the money is intended for purchasing food, medicines, clothing, and other necessary items, as well as for maintaining contact with relatives.

“The collection has just started; it usually lasts a week or two. We are in contact with other political prisoners, and they asked Alexey to be included in the collection,” reported the project representative to “Caucasian Knot”.

Fears for oneself and loved ones

During the conversation, Vasily Shchus returned several times to his fears for himself and his loved ones. His reluctance to speak in detail about his son he explained not by a lack of interest in his fate, but by fear of consequences. He cited a case he learned about the day before from reports about another criminal case. It was about a father and his 18-year-old daughter: as Shchus understood, they were held accountable after communicating and passing on some messages. He did not provide details.

Lawyer Elena Pavlova, not connected to Shchus's case, suggested that it was about the Mishanin family. On October 12, the Southern District Military Court sentenced the father and daughter to 18 and 7 years of imprisonment, respectively. According to the prosecution, they collected and transmitted information about Russian military to Ukraine.

Vasily Shchus did not specify which case he was referring to. He reiterated that he does not consider his son guilty but refused to discuss the criminal case. According to the father, Alexey is no longer interested in politics after what he has experienced.