Switch Language

58-year-old Yevgeny Urlashov was released from Correctional Colony No. 1 in Tver on 30 December, where he had been held since 2022. This was reported by 76.ru.

Previously, he had been serving his sentence in Penal Colony No. 2 in Yaroslavl Region.

“Undoubtedly, this leaves quite a significant mark. My character has only become stronger; I didn’t break, I didn’t bend. On the contrary. Everything that led me to prison—I did the right thing, that’s what I believe. Another matter is that now I need to be more careful. Especially nowadays, considering what’s happening in our country and in the world generally,” he told MSK1.ru

Urlashov said that he plans to continue living and working in Russia: “However difficult, however risky, however dangerous it may be.”

“I will carry on doing what I know how to do. I would like to be of use to my homeland, my country, and I will dedicate the rest of my life to this—not to minor aims, but to major ones. The minor ones don’t interest me,” he said.

One journalist asked Urlashov whether he could return to politics in today’s Russia. “It’s difficult to do if you stick to your own ideological views and don’t change them. But under the current circumstances, both the world and the country and the situation we live in are changing. That’s why I say I would like to be useful,” the former mayor replied.

He added that while in detention he prepared “a programme for the development of the country on a wide range of issues.” Urlashov did not go into detail about this programme.

  • In 2012, Yevgeny Urlashov won the mayoral election in Yaroslavl, a major city in central Russia, receiving more votes than the candidate from United Russia. His campaign ran under the slogan “Down with crooks and thieves.” Urlashov became the last mayor of the city to be elected in direct elections. In June 2013, the politician announced his intention to run for governor of Yaroslavl Region at a large opposition rally. A month later, he was detained in a high-profile bribery case (part 6, article 290 of the Criminal Code).
  • In 2016, the court sentenced Urlashov to 12.5 years in a strict-regime colony and a fine of 60 million rubles (US$670,000). His adviser Alexey Lopatin was convicted alongside him, receiving 7 years in a colony. Both maintained their innocence and insisted on acquittal.