On February 13, the Khostinsky District Court in Sochi ordered the pre-trial detention of lawyer Oleg Stepanov. He is accused of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Stepanov was detained at Sochi airport on January 30, when he came to Russia for family reasons. He was initially placed under administrative arrest for disobeying a police officer under Part 1 of Article 19.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences. After serving the administrative arrest, Stepanov was detained again, this time as part of a criminal case.

In January 2025, Stepanov said he had been forced to emigrate because of his professional work and civic stance. In Serbia, he was awaiting a humanitarian visa; he suspended his legal status as an attorney and worked as a courier.

In Russia, Stepanov represented defendants in court in politically motivated cases, including former coordinator of the Golos movement Natalya Guseva.