A historian from Kalmykia is awaiting sentencing in a pretrial detention center in a case involving the rehabilitation of Nazism.

Elveg Khartskhaev, a resident of Elista, has been in pretrial detention for over seven months on charges of disrespecting Russia's military glory. The historian's prosecution stemmed from a social media post published nearly ten years ago.

The case against the 37-year-old Elista resident has been pending before the Supreme Court of Kalmykia since late February, with the first hearing scheduled for March 10.

Elveg Khartskhaev is charged with rehabilitating Nazism via the internet (Part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Russian Criminal Code carries a sentence of up to five years in prison or forced labor) and illegal possession of explosive devices (Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Russian Criminal Code carries a sentence of six to eight years in prison).

Khartskhaev is known as a historian, archaeologist, and the author of a scholarly article on Egyptology. In 2020, he was mentioned in publications as an employee of the National Museum of Kalmykia, and in 2021, the republic's government expressed gratitude to him "for his high professionalism, preservation, and development of national culture," the human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial"* noted in today's publication.

The charge of rehabilitating Nazism concerns a post on Khartskhaev's personal social media page, published in April 2016. Center "E" officers and investigators found in the post "a negative assessment of days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia associated with the defense of the Fatherland," the official Telegram channel of the Investigative Committee of Kalmykia reported on February 25. The charge of illegal possession of explosive devices stems from the discovery of ammunition from World War II during a search of Khartskhaev's home. Investigators claim that the man "admitted guilt and repented of his actions."

According to human rights activists, Elveg Khartskhaev has been in pretrial detention since July 2025. The Elista City Court has repeatedly extended his detention. Initially, the case included two charges of illegal possession of ammunition, but by the end of the investigation, only one remained. Moreover, since July 2025, the Elista City Court has brought Khartskhaev to administrative responsibility eight times: six times for displaying prohibited symbols (Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation), once for insulting the authorities (Part 3 of Article 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation), and once for inciting hatred (Article 20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

Caucasian Knot has not yet received any comments from Khartskhaev or his lawyer regarding the charges.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in December, a Moscow court arrested 58-year-old businessman from Kalmykia, Eduard Baltykov, who had previously participated in protests in Elista, on charges of involvement in a terrorist organization. Human rights activists have recognized Baltykov as a political prisoner, calling his persecution part of a security forces campaign against indigenous activists.

* are listed as foreign agents.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.