Velimor Merkulov

A mountaineer who lived in Zlatoust (Chelyabinsk region). On July 22, 2022, he was detained in Bashkortostan while attempting to climb Mount Yamantau, the highest peak in the Southern Urals. Climbing the mountain is prohibited: the area was designated a nature reserve after the construction of the closed administrative-territorial entity “Mezhgorye” and the classified facilities located there. Security officers found a Ukrainian flag with the climber, which, as the man said, he was going to raise on the summit. Merkulov was released but later detained again on charges of public justification of terrorism and high treason. Merkulov's mother, who was questioned as a witness, said that Merkulov wrote anti-war posts and made reposts of Ukrainian materials calling for Russian military personnel to surrender and videos of interrogations of Russian prisoners of war. The "Vechernye Vedomosti" newspaper claims that in conversations with friends, Merkulov said that he had established contact with the Ukrainian side, so in case of mobilisation he would find an option to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On March 1, 2024, Merkulov was sentenced to 13 years in a strict regime colony and a fine of 500,000 rubles.