The nurse who wrote “GUR” on the Zhukov monument in Moscow has been released from punishment

A court in the Moscow region has released a local resident, 29-year-old nurse Anastasiya Lysenkova, from punishment after she was convicted of inscribing “GUR” on the Zhukov monument in Moscow. This was reported by the pro-Kremlin agency RIA Novosti, citing court documents.

In June 2024, Lysenkova and another nurse from the Moscow region, Vera Nikolaeva, were detained on charges of damaging a “monument to Russia’s military glory” by a group of people (paragraphs 'a' and 'b', part 2, article 243.4 of the Russian Criminal Code). Both women were initially sent to a pre-trial detention centre, and three weeks later were placed under house arrest.

According to the project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial,” which recognised the arrested nurses as political prisoners, Lysenkova spray-painted the inscription on the Zhukov monument. Vera Nikolaeva filmed her actions on camera.

It later emerged that the women were from different cities and did not know each other. However, both had fallen victim to telephone fraudsters.

Both Nikolaeva and Lysenkova admitted guilt in the case. In August last year, the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow sentenced each of them to one year of compulsory labour with 10% of their salary withheld in favour of the state.

After the sentencing, both defendants filed petitions for early release from compulsory labour. The first instance court rejected both petitions, but Lysenkova was able to appeal successfully. Vera Nikolaeva’s punishment remained unchanged.

In court, Nikolaeva stated that she is a blood donor and had transferred money to help military medics serving in Ukraine. Lysenkova said that after her release on parole, she intends to return to work as a nurse at a neurology centre.