Oleg Yelymanov is a political prisoner
A blogger from Yekaterinburg has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment on a charge of ‘fake news’ about the Russian army
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Oleg Yelymanov a political prisoner. Yelymanov was convicted on a charge of ‘intentionally disseminating information known to be false about the use of the Russian armed forces’ for posts on social media. Oleg Yelymanov’s criminal prosecution violated his rights to freedom of expression and a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Oleg Yelymanov and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What was the case against Oleg Yelymanov?
Oleg Yelymanov is a blogger from Yekaterinburg. In 2014 and 2016, he published social media posts in support of separatists from the Donetsk region and called for the ‘final surrender of the Ukrainian fascists in Lviv.’ At the same time, he shared posts criticizing the Russian authorities.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Yelymanov ‘categorically’ changed his position and subscribed to independent Russian media and the online pages of Russian opposition figures. In 2024, he deleted all his posts about politics and since then has written only about raising his son and rock music.
On 24 July 2025, Yelymanov was placed under house arrest on a charge of spreading ‘fake news’ about the Russian army motivated by political hatred ( Article 207.3, Part 2 [e], of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The criminal case against Yelymanov was based on his comment in a Telegram chat about an explosion in the Olenivka prison in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine that had killed more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war and been attributed to Russia.
In November 2025, a court in Moscow sentenced Oleg Yelymanov to six years of imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.
Why do we consider Oleg Yelymanov a political prisoner?
The article on the dissemination of ‘fake news’ about the actions of the Russian army, under which Oleg Yelymanov is being prosecuted, was adopted into law after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The article effectively prohibits any criticism of the Russian authorities or military and violates the right of citizens to freedom of expression.
This article contradicts both the Constitution and Russia’s international obligations, as well as fundamental principles of law, in particular that of legal certainty. Under this article, a citizen cannot know in advance what information may be ‘considered false.’ Moreover, it is impossible to establish whether information was ‘known to be false’ or whether it was ‘intentionally spread’ as such. We consider any charges under this article unlawful.
A detailed description of Oleg Yelymanov’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
