A resident of Yamalo was sentenced to 12 years in prison over a video about the war in Ukraine

The Central District Military Court has sentenced Igor Yakunichev, a 36-year-old resident of Pangody in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District (north-western Siberia), to 12 years in a general regime penal colony over anti-war videos posted on VKontakte. This was reported by Mediazona.

Yakunichev was also banned from administering websites and channels for five years. During the arguments in court, the prosecutor requested a 12-year general regime prison sentence and a seven-year ban on administering websites and online channels.

Yakunichev did not plead guilty.

“Whatever the outcome of this large-scale armed conflict in Europe, I have been and remain on the side of Ukraine. To Ukrainians who have not lost hope or faith, I want to say these words: ‘Vse bude Ukraina (Everything will be Ukraine).’ I reject and do not accept all the charges brought against me. As for everything I have done—I have no regrets <…> I hope that after the guilty verdict is upheld, the Russian FSB will consider the issue of my exchange to Ukraine,” he said in his final statement (OVD-Info has the recording).

The man was charged under articles on spreading “false information” about the Russian army (subparagraph “d” of part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), “discrediting” the army (part 1, article 280.3), as well as incitement to terrorism (part 2, article 205.2) and activities directed against state security (subparagraph “v” of part 2, article 280.4).

All the charges are based on Yakunichev’s VKontakte posts from 2022–2023. In them, Yakunichev shared videos by various bloggers about the killing of civilians in Bucha, which was under Russian military control, the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, and the “Freedom of Russia” Legion, which is fighting as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Notably, the case involves videos titled “Russian soldiers shot a family near Bucha,” “They systematically killed people. What did Russian soldiers do in Bucha,” “Current Time. Bucha witness in Spain,” “How the ‘Freedom of Russia’ Legion fights,” “Artillery crews of the ‘Freedom of Russia’ Legion at work,” and “Thousands of Russians queue up to topple Putin’s regime.”

SOTAvision reported that at the first hearing, the judge described the killings in Bucha as “a staged provocation by Ukraine.” Yakunichev, for his part, said in court that he had “systematised evidence of war crimes” described in the media and materials from UN sessions, and sent this information to the Russian military prosecutor’s office and Ministry of Defence.

The criminal case against Yakunichev was opened in spring 2023. Initially, he was only charged under the “false information” article. He reported that he was beaten during his arrest. At first, the court imposed restrictions on his activities as a preventive measure; a year later, he was remanded in custody.

This summer, Yakunichev said that since April he has been held in solitary confinement in Detention Centre No. 5 in Yekaterinburg (a major city in the Urals), and before that had been kept in a punishment cell. He had not been receiving letters from his mother or the medication he needs due to a back injury. Because of the conditions, he filed complaints and lawsuits in court. According to Yakunichev, the senior investigator at the detention centre threatened him with “sexual violence” for this.

You can support Igor Yakunichev by sending him a letter through our “Vestochka” service.