Aleksandr Dotsenko, artist jailed in Russia over anti-war supermarket protest, dies

The Art Newspaper reported on 23 February 2026 that Ukrainian-born jewellery artist Aleksandr Dotsenko died of a heart attack on 19 February while serving a prison sentence in Russia. Dotsenko, 65, had been convicted in July 2024 by a St Petersburg military court—alongside his wife, artist Anastasia Dyudyaeva—of “public calls for terrorist activities” related to alleged anti-war slogans placed in a supermarket in the Leningrad region. He received a three-year sentence, while Dyudyaeva is serving three-and-a-half years; their lawyers said the investigation contained serious violations, including disputed translations that prosecutors said implied threats against President Vladimir Putin.

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