Belgian-Russian Gets 16 Years in Fabricated Treason Trial
A 48-year-old Belgian-Russian dual national has been sentenced to 16 years in a Russian high-security penal colony on charges of high treason, in a case that human rights groups and the Belgian government say was fabricated for political purposes. Mikhaïl Lochtchinine was convicted on June 2 by the Pskov Regional Court in a closed-door trial that critics describe as a sham.
The Arrest and Charges
Lochtchinine, an IT professional living in Luxembourg, was arrested on the night of June 30–July 1, 2025, at the Ubylinka border crossing between Russia and Latvia. He was entering Russia using his Russian passport to visit his terminally ill father, who had suffered a heart attack and undergone two open-heart surgeries, according to La Libre Belgique.
Russian border guards seized his phone and discovered WhatsApp contacts with relatives and friends in Ukraine, including his sister and an ex-girlfriend, as well as a $245 (approximately €225) money transfer sent to his Ukrainian ex-girlfriend in 2022. These were presented as evidence of espionage under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code.
A Closed-Door Trial
The trial opened in February 2026 at the Pskov Regional Court, with proceedings held entirely behind closed doors. Damien Comeliau, coordinator of the “Free Mike” campaign, described the process as a farce.
“This trial is a joke. Everything is nebulous in this story: these are accusations fabricated from scratch, the debates were held behind closed doors, the defense arguments were systematically rejected, the lawyers did not have the right to communicate, sometimes they even disappeared for three weeks.”
Lochtchinine’s lawyer, Evgueni Smirnov of the human rights organization Pervy Otdel, noted that the 16-year sentence was unusually harsh for the alleged offense. “The prosecution probably wanted to apply the maximum penalty because of his Belgian nationality,” Smirnov said. “Today, sentences of 16 to 18 years are generally pronounced when a charge of high treason is combined with terrorism-related offenses or weapons possession, not for simple money transfers.”
Torture and Detention Conditions
Following his arrest, Lochtchinine was initially held in a hotel in Pytalovo before being transferred in early August 2025 to a detention facility for Ukrainian prisoners of war in Stary Oskol, Belgorod region. There, he was subjected to torture: stripped naked, beaten, and deprived of his eyeglasses despite having a vision correction of -8 diopters, resulting in near-blindness and a detached retina.
In a written statement from jail, Lochtchinine described his ordeal: “The only things that remain clear in my memory are the needles and the electric pistol that the special forces soldier shoved in my face.”
He was later transferred to pre-trial detention in Pskov, where he was denied adequate medical care. The Russian human rights group Memorial has designated him a political prisoner.
Diplomatic Implications
The Belgian Foreign Affairs Ministry has been monitoring the case since the arrest. A Belgian embassy representative attended the verdict, but Russia has denied all requests for consular visits, citing Lochtchinine’s dual nationality — a position that effectively leaves him without diplomatic protection.
Belgium, a strong supporter of Ukraine and EU sanctions on Russia, faces limited diplomatic options. The case fits a broader pattern of Russia detaining dual nationals with ties to countries supporting Ukraine, potentially for use as bargaining chips in future prisoner exchanges. Precedents include Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian citizen sentenced to 12 years for a $51 donation to a Ukraine aid group who was freed in a 2025 prisoner swap.
A Broader Pattern
The Kremlin has dramatically expanded the use of treason charges since 2022. Fifteen cases were initiated in the first half of 2025 alone — roughly double the number from the same period in 2024. Acquittals are extremely rare. Analysts suggest that Lochtchinine’s only realistic path to freedom may be through a diplomatic exchange.
What’s Next
The “Free Mike” campaign, coordinated by Damien Comeliau, has launched a petition demanding Belgian diplomatic intervention. With Lochtchinine now in a penal colony and his health deteriorating, the case is likely to become a further point of tension between Brussels and Moscow. Whether Belgium can leverage its diplomatic channels or whether a negotiated prisoner swap offers the only way out remains an open question.