Yaroslavl man sentenced to 14 years for photos of military graves

A Russian citizen received a 14-year prison sentence for treason due to photographs of military graves. The Yaroslavl Regional Court sentenced local resident Nikolai Shcherbakov to 14 years in a colony for treason because of photos of military graves.

Consensus

The defendant, Nikolai Shcherbakov, is a 48-year-old resident of Yaroslavl.
He was sentenced to 14 years in a strict-regime colony by the Yaroslavl Regional Court.
The charges were for state treason (Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code).
The prosecution alleged that from October 2024, he systematically visited a memorial cemetery and conducted covert photo and video recording of military burial sites.
He allegedly transmitted the collected information to representatives of Ukrainian special services via a messaging app.
The case was heard in closed session.
This is the first known case in Russia where photographing military graves and sending the images to Ukraine was prosecuted as state treason.
The court also imposed a 1.5-year restriction of freedom after his release.

Points of divergence

The case was discussed in a closed session, and the FSB's operational footage showed the defendant was arrested in cold weather. — tg_echoonline_news
This is the first known case of a conviction for photographing military graves. — tg_svobodnieslova
Similar cases began appearing in Tomsk and Sverdlovsk regions in summer 2026. — tg_chertamedia
In June 2026, several people were detained in Tomsk for collecting information about Russian military dead and sending photos to Ukraine for money, with Ukrainian services offering up to 20,000 rubles for 100 photos. In Sverdlovsk, two women were detained, one of whom received 80 rubles per photo. — riamo
The case became public in early August, and there were reports of people being forced to apologize on camera after being detained for photographing graves. — meduza
The case is the first known instance of a verdict for filming a 'SVO' cemetery, and the defendant's guilt was not confirmed as to whether he admitted it. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
The court did not disclose the time or circumstances of the arrest, but the investigation was said to have started in winter. — tg_govorit_nemoskva
Three people were detained in Tomsk and two in Yekaterinburg in June for similar reasons. — tg_varlamov_news

Coverage (16 sources)

Resident of Yaroslavl who photographed military graves sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of treason — ЭХО / Новости
Russian citizen sentenced to 14 years in prison for treason over photos of soldiers' graves — Вёрстка
Yaroslavl resident sentenced to 14 years in prison for filming graves of Russian soldiers — Черта
Yaroslavl resident sentenced to 14 years for sending photos of military graves to Ukraine — РИАМО
Resident of Yaroslavl who photographed soldiers' graves received 14 years in a colony. He was accused of treason — Meduza
In Russia, first sentence passed for filming cemetery of 'SVO'. Yaroslavl resident given 14 years in colony — The Moscow Times
14 years of strict regime for photos at the cemetery — Говорит НеМосква
Yaroslavl resident sentenced to 14 years in prison for handing over photos of military graves to Ukrainian intelligence services, reports... — Varlamov News
Yaroslavl resident sentenced to 14 years in prison for treason after filming military graves — Настоящее Время
Yaroslavl man sentenced to 14 years in prison for passing data on military graves — Вечерняя Москва
For filming graves of Russian soldiers, a Yaroslavl resident received 14 years — Дождь
Yaroslavl resident sentenced to 14 years for filming graves of Russian soldiers — Дождь (Telegram)
Resident of Yaroslavl received 14 years in a colony for filming graves of Russian military. This is the first known similar verdict — 7х7 — Горизонтальная Россия
Resident of Yaroslavl sentenced in criminal case on treason — Вести
Yaroslavl resident sentenced for treason - he photographed military graves — Радио Свобода
Yaroslavl man given 14 years in prison for filming graves of soldiers at cemetery — Медиазона

Yaroslavl man sentenced to 14 years for photos of military graves

Consensus

Points of divergence

Coverage (16 sources)

Key entities

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