66-Year-Old Historian Sentenced to 3 Years for Anti-War Posts
A 66-year-old local historian and former municipal deputy, Vladimir Zhuravlev, was sentenced to seven years in a colony for military 'fake news'. The Prosecutor's Office requested that Vladimir Zhuravlev, a 66-year-old local historian and former deputy from Lomonosov, be sentenced to seven years of deprivation of liberty.
Consensus
- Vladimir Zhuravlev, a 66-year-old historian from Lomonosov, was sentenced to three years in prison.
- The conviction was based on three posts published in April 2022 in the VK group 'Gorod Oranienbaum'.
- The posts were related to the war in Ukraine and criticized the Russian military and leadership.
- Zhuravlev admitted to writing the posts but claimed they were not motivated by hatred toward the army.
- The prosecution had requested a seven-year sentence.
- The case was heard by the Petrodvoretsky District Court in St. Petersburg.
- Zhuravlev was previously a municipal deputy and worked as an engineer at military factories.
Points of divergence
- Zhuravlev was 65 years old at the time of the search, which occurred on June 26, 2025. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- Zhuravlev was sent to house arrest the day after the search. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- The case began in January 2026. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- Zhuravlev was described as an activist of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical Monuments. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- Zhuravlev stated that his parents survived the Battle of Rzhev, which shaped his anti-war stance. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- The posts included the statement: 'Since the start of Putin's aggression against Ukraine, the Russian people no longer exist. There is only a mad mob feeding its instincts on TV trash.' — tg_sotavisionmedia
- Zhuravlev mentioned his health conditions (oncology, heart disease, spinal issues, second-group disability) before sentencing. — mediazona
- Zhuravlev said: 'If by the law, a person with oncology, heart disease requiring surgery, and a damaged spine, an invalid of the second group, can hardly be deprived of freedom... But in this case, anything is possible.' — mediazona
- The posts included a claim that 16,000 Russian soldiers had died and 70,000 were in Ukrainian captivity. — mediazona
- The posts included a claim that Russia had lost half of its strategic rocket stockpile. — mediazona
- The posts included a claim that Russian forces were retreating from Kyiv. — mediazona
- The posts included a claim that Western countries were supplying Ukraine with modern weapons like NLAW, Javelin, and Stinger. — mediazona
Coverage (3 sources)
- 66-year-old regionalist from Lomonosov sentenced to 3 years for anti-war posts of 2022 — Медиазона
- 66-year-old local historian and former municipal deputy Vladimir Zhuravlev requested 7 years in a colony for the case of military 'fakes…' — SOTAvision
- 66-year-old local historian from Lomonosov requested 7 years for anti-war posts of 2022 — Медиазона
Key entities
- Vladimir Zhuravlev
- Lomonosovo
- Mediasphere
- Petrodvoretsovsky District Court
- St. Petersburg
- VK community
- Anna Gorbacheva