Ruslan was detained on November 15, 2020 and arrested for 15 days for walking through the city with a white-red-white flag in memory of the murdered Roman Bondarenko. Roman was beaten by security forces in the courtyard near his home and died in hospital from cerebral edema. However, after his administrative arrest, Ruslan was not released, as a criminal case was opened against him and he was convicted of "resisting an Interior Ministry officer."
In March 2022, he was re-sentenced to one year in prison for "disobeying the demands of the administration of the correctional institution." Under this article, prisoners who refuse to cooperate with the administration are tried for fictitious violations.
He was released in July 2024, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
