The Human Rights Committee of Sweden’s Scientific and Literary Academies has sent an open letter to the President of the Russian Federation, appealing for the immediate release of the Ukrainian marine biologist Leonid Pshenichnov from Russian custody.
Leonid Pshenichnov was taken into Russian custody in early September 2025 and was shortly thereafter charged with high treason, which may result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years. He has for a long time been a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the international organisation responsible for the conservation of Antarctic marine ecosystems and the management of fisheries in the Southern Ocean. The Committee is alarmed that the charges appear to be directly connected to his legitimate professional activities.
Pshenichnov is 70 years old and suffers from significant health problems requiring regular medical treatment. The Committee appeals for his immediate and unconditional release and stresses that his conditions of confinement must conform with the U.N. Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
The letter:
Stockholm 10 February 2026
Your Excellency:
We are writing to respectfully request your assistance regarding the concerning situation of Ukrainian marine biologist Leonid Pshenichnov, who is in Russian custody and facing national security-related charges, seemingly in connection with his professional activities.
Dr. Pshenichnov is an internationally recognized Ukrainian marine biologist and longtime member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), a body established by international convention for conservation of Antarctic marine ecosystems and management of fishing in the Southern Ocean. Reliable reports indicate that, in early September 2025—one month before CCAMLR’s 2025 annual meeting—he was taken into Russian custody in Crimea in connection with the Ukrainian delegation’s support for proposals to CCAMLR about Antarctic krill fishing limitations.
Dr. Pshenichnov—who lives in Crimea and has a Russian passport, alongside his Ukrainian citizenship—reportedly was charged in mid-September with high treason, accused for assisting Ukraine in activities directed against the security and economic interests of the Russian Federation and faces up to 20 years in prison.
It is our understanding that Dr. Pshenichnov, who is 70 years old, is currently held in a detention facility in Simferopol. Concerns about his well-being are heightened because he suffers from numerous health problems requiring regular medical treatment.
We are alarmed that Dr. Pshenichnov appears to be facing national security-related charges in direct connection with his legitimate professional activities. Criminalizing his peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, and association is inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Russia is a State party. As Dr. Pshenichnov is facing criminal charges for peacefully exercising his fundamental rights, we respectfully urge you to use your good offices to ensure his prompt and unconditional release from detention. In the interim, we ask you to ensure that his conditions of confinement conform with the U.N. Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, including regular access to legal counsel, family visits, and all needed medical care. Thank you in advance for your attention to this important matter.
Respectfully yours,
Stefan Svallfors
Professor, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of Sweden’s Scientific and Literary Academies
The Human Rights Committee of Sweden’s Scientific and Literary Academies includes members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the Swedish Academy and the Young Academy of Sweden.
