Vladimir Yarotsky, a resident of Krasnodar, has been sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in a general-regime penal colony. Authorities found him guilty under several criminal articles related to his social media publications. Among the charges were the dissemination of "knowingly false information" about the Russian Armed Forces and the public desecration of symbols of military glory.
The most recent verdict became known from court documents and a complaint filed by Yarotsky’s lawyer, which mentioned that he had already been held in pre-trial detention for over six months. This is the third criminal case brought against him in two years, this time under Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to spreading “fake news” about the Russian army. The specific reason for the new charge has not been officially disclosed.
The first case against Yarotsky was initiated in 2023. He was accused of violating Part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code — public desecration of symbols of military glory. The charge stemmed from a post he made on the social network VKontakte in May 2023. The image showed an artist painting a portrait of Vladimir Putin from life, but on the canvas appeared a vulgar depiction, to which a St. George ribbon was tied. Another ribbon was also attached to Putin in the image. The post was captioned: "Smart people see that Putin is burying Russia alive, while fools believe he is saving it..."
The Pervomaisky District Court of Krasnodar found Yarotsky guilty and sentenced him to 1.5 years in a penal colony. However, the prosecution appealed the ruling, citing procedural violations — they claimed the court failed to impose additional penalties and had incorrectly determined the jurisdiction. The Krasnodar Regional Court overturned the verdict and sent the case back for retrial.
Meanwhile, in February 2024, Yarotsky faced a second charge — for spreading false information about Russian military losses in Ukraine. According to investigators, he posted in September 2022 unverified information about the number of soldiers killed or missing in action. The specific publication has not been disclosed.
Later, in May 2024, he was convicted in yet another case — this time for publicly calling for terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code). As evidence, prosecutors presented a post from July 2022 in which Yarotsky allegedly called for violent actions against the President of Russia. Yarotsky pleaded guilty to this charge, and the court fined him 350,000 rubles.
It is also known that Yarotsky had previously faced administrative penalties, including for displaying Nazi symbols, and he had a prior conviction for extremist statements. All of these episodes were taken into account by the court when delivering the latest sentence.
According to the United Press Service of the Courts of Krasnodar Krai, Yarotsky was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in a general-regime colony for the cumulative charges. He was taken into custody directly in the courtroom.
His VKontakte account was blocked at the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office. As of publication, it is unclear whether the defense will appeal the verdict.
Vladimir Yarotsky’s case highlights the repressive nature of the Russian justice system: he was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for satirical posts and criticism of the authorities. His verdict is yet another example of how dissent is punished in Russia.
