Alexander was detained in January 2022 by GUBOPiK and OMON officers, who attacked him, pushing him face-first into the snow, and then dragged him into a police car. He was recorded on video, claiming he didn't know why he was detained. According to police testimony, in the summer of 2020, Alexander left messages in a local chat room advising people to "gather in small groups in each district and then head downtown" and to "abandon their cars on the road" on central streets.
In April 2022, Alexander was found guilty in a criminal case brought under the article "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them," and was sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.
He was released in May 2023, having fully served his sentence.
