Write to Alexei.

When Memorial co-chair Oleg Orlov was freed in the August 2024 prisoner exchange, he repeated what other freed political prisoners have said for decades: letters from people you have never met are the single thing that keeps a person sane in a Russian colony. They also do something concrete — they make prison administrators understand that the world is watching.

Russian prison censors will refuse, delay, or destroy letters in any other language. Do not send English, Italian, French, German, Ukrainian or any other language directly — it will not reach him.

You do not need to speak Russian to write him a letter. Volunteer services translate short letters from any major European language for free:

• RosUznik — coordinates volunteer translators for letters to Russian political prisoners.
• Memorial Human Rights Centre — runs a long-standing letter programme.
• OVD-Info — “Write to a Political Prisoner” — the most up-to-date addresses and instructions, in English.

Anything human and ordinary. Tell him about your day, your country, a book you read, the weather, your garden, what your children are like. He has said he wants to be reminded of life outside. A short, simple letter is better than no letter.

Russian prison censors read every letter. Anything that could be twisted into evidence in a future case, or used to punish him, must stay out:

• No discussion of the war, of Ukraine, of military matters.
• No discussion of other prisoners’ cases or alleged escape plans.
• No criticism of the Russian state, the army, or the president.
• No phone numbers, no addresses, no sensitive personal information about yourself.
• No religious or political proselytising.

When in doubt: write the kind of letter you would send to an elderly neighbour you like and respect.

As of mid-2025, the address on record was Penal Colony No. 10 (ИК-10) in Rubtsovsk, Altai Krai. The current verified format is something like:

658204, Алтайский край,
г. Рубцовск, ул. Тракторная, 24,
ФКУ ИК-10 УФСИН России по Алтайскому краю,
Горинову Алексею Александровичу,
1961 г.р.

Verify this address before sending. Do not assume it is current.

From the EU or UK, an ordinary international letter takes 3–6 weeks to arrive at a Russian colony — if it arrives at all. From the US and Canada, expect 4–8 weeks. Use standard international postage; do not register the letter, as registered mail is more often opened or returned.

An alternative is FSIN-Pismo, the Russian state’s electronic letter service. Letters arrive within days, but the system is run by the prison authorities themselves — treat it with the privacy awareness that implies.

Russian (send this):

Уважаемый Алексей Александрович,

Меня зовут [имя], я живу в [городе, стране].
Я хочу, чтобы Вы знали: о Вас помнят.
Сегодня у нас [короткое описание дня — погода,
что-то простое и человеческое].

Желаю Вам здоровья и сил.

С уважением,
[имя]

English translation (do NOT send the English version):

Dear Alexei Aleksandrovich,

My name is [name] and I live in [city, country].
I want you to know: you are remembered.
Today the [short, simple description of your day —
weather, something human and ordinary].

I wish you health and strength.

With respect,
[name]

Quiet. Kind. Non-political. He is reading these in a cell. Imagine him reading your letter on a Wednesday afternoon in winter, alone. Write the letter that would make that Wednesday a little less long.