Yarotsky Vladimir Fedorovich, born April 18, 1985, resident of Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Krai, self-employed. On December 5, 2023, he was sentenced under Part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Desecration of symbols of military glory committed using the Internet") to 1 year and 6 months in a general regime penal colony. The sentence was overturned, the case was sent for a new trial. On May 8, 2024, he was sentenced under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Public calls or justification of terrorism committed using the Internet") to a fine of 350,000 roubles.
On January 7, 2025, it was announced that a criminal case had also been opened against him under Part 1 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Public dissemination, under the guise of reliable news, of knowingly false information containing data on the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens," punishable by up to 5 years' imprisonment).
He was imprisoned since December 5, 2023, and was held in a pretrial detention facility. In December 2024, he was released under a ban on certain activities. On May 21, 2025, he was sentenced to 5.5 years in a general regime penal colony and taken into custody. On the night of May 6-7, 2026, he committed suicide due to harsh conditions in Correctional Colony No. 9 of the Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory.
