St. Petersburg man sentenced to 6 years for reposting Ukrainian news
A resident of St. Petersburg was sentenced to six years in a colony for reposting messages from the Ukrainian agency. The Nevsky District Court of St. Petersburg sentenced 36-year-old Egor Gulyaev to six years in a colony under the article on spreading 'fake news' about the Russian Armed Forces, according to 'Medialzone'.
Consensus
- The defendant, Yegor Gulyayev, was 36 years old at the time of sentencing.
- He was sentenced to six years in a general regime colony.
- The conviction was based on three reposts made in 2022 on his VKontakte page.
- The reposts were from the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN.
- The posts concerned alleged Russian military actions in Ukraine, including the massacre of women and children in Peremoha, the killing of student Anastasia Tagirova, and child abuse documented in a UN report.
- The court found him guilty under Article 207.3, part 2, point d of the Russian Criminal Code for spreading knowingly false information about the Russian military.
- The prosecution had requested 12 years in prison.
- Gulyayev admitted to making the reposts but claimed he did not harbor political hatred toward the Russian military.
- He stated he was trying to cope with stress due to relatives living in Zaporozhye.
- He claimed he did not fully understand the social danger of his actions and considered VKontakte his personal space.
- He asked the court to remove the motive of 'political hatred' from the verdict.
- The court also imposed a four-year ban on publishing content online.
Points of divergence
- The prosecution requested 12 years in prison for Gulyayev. — tg_astrapress
- Gulyayev stated his emotional reaction was directed at specific negative actions and their consequences, causing pain to innocent Ukrainian civilians. — tg_severrealii
- Gulyayev was in pre-trial detention since November 2025. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- A psychiatric examination found Gulyayev had a schizoid disorder but deemed him criminally responsible. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- An independent expert hired by the defense stated that the motive behind the reposts could not be determined. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- Neither VKontakte nor Roskomnadzor could confirm whether anyone read his page after it was blocked. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- The defense requested only a fine and highlighted that Gulyayev's mother was seriously ill and needed his care. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- A professor from SPbGU stated that it was difficult to determine the motive and that Gulyayev may have been disoriented by enemy propaganda. — tg_radiosvoboda
- The defendant's name is Igor Gulyayev, not Yegor. — tg_tvrain
Coverage (13 sources)
- Resident of St. Petersburg sentenced to 6 years in prison for reposting messages from Ukrainian agency — The Moscow Times
- St. Petersburg resident sentenced to six years in prison for three subversive posts — Фонтанка
- For three reposts of UNIAN, a St. Petersburg resident was asked for 12 years in a colony — ASTRA
- Resident of St. Petersburg sentenced to 6 years for reposts of Ukrainian media — Север.Реалии
- St. Petersburg man sentenced to six years in prison for reposting three Ukrainian VK pages — SOTAvision
- St. Petersburg resident sentenced to six years in prison for three reposts UNIAN — Дождь (Telegram)
- Saint Petersburg resident sentenced to 6 years for three reposts UNIAN — Медиазона
- Resident of St. Petersburg asked for 12 years for three reposts of Ukrainian media — Радио Свобода
- For three reposts UNIAN asked for 12 years in a colony for a St. Petersburg resident — ASTRA
- Resident of St. Petersburg asked for 12 years for three reposts of Ukrainian media — Север.Реалии
- 12 years for 'fake news about the army' requested for Yegor Gulyaev — Бумага
- Resident of St. Petersburg asked for 12 years for three reposts of Ukrainian agency UNIAN — Дождь (Telegram)
- Saint Petersburg resident asked for 12 years for three reposts UNIAN — Медиазона