Press Release, 8.10.2026

Photo: Vasily Neustroyev in court

The Second Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction has upheld the sentence of ten years’ imprisonment handed down to Vasily Neustroyev, a member of St. Petersburg Yabloko, historian and election observer. The defence regards the ruling as unlawful and is weighing a cassation appeal.

The St. Petersburg City Court’s sentence has now entered into force. Vasily Neustroyev has been in custody since June 2023, and spent almost three years in pre-trial detention facilities in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov said:

“We believe that during the trial, the case materials contained no evidence or specific facts directly connected with the commission of the acts he was charged with. We believe that the trial itself and the sentence handed down have only one purpose: to increase fear among the citizens of our country.

“Vasily is a cultured, sincere and honest man. He has not harmed anyone or used violence. He wants to see our country free and democratic. He was held in pre-trial detention in Moscow and St. Petersburg for almost three years, and now he has been given a monstrous sentence of the kind imposed on murderers and rapists.

“We are convinced that Vasily Neustroyev is completely innocent, and we will continue to use every legal means to defend him and to help his family.”

Yabloko insists that the criminal case is politically motivated and is yet another attempt to put pressure on activists and on all those who oppose the system. During the trial, dozens of personal sureties from Neustroyev’s fellow party members were submitted to the court.

The persecution began on 6 June 2023 with a search in the case of the Vesna movement, which had been designated as extremist. In the “Vesna case”, Neustroyev was charged on six counts: “fakes about the army” (Article 207.3(2)(b) and (d) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), creating a non-profit organisation that infringes on the person and rights of citizens (Article 239(2)), “extremism” (Article 280.4(3)), involving others in organising mass riots (Article 212(1.1)), “rehabilitation of Nazism” (Article 354.1(4)) and organising an extremist community (Article 282.1(1)).

During the proceedings, he was recognised as a political prisoner, and he repeatedly stated that he was innocent and that the case against him had been fabricated.

In his last word at the appeal hearing, Vasily Neustroyev said:

“Change in Russia matures slowly but, as a rule, happens quickly. […] For now, the most important thing is not to be afraid and not to despair, to do everything we can to preserve our faith and optimism. And always to remember the most important words: For Peace and Freedom! For the future of our country, for a peace-loving and democratic Russia! Russia will be free.”

Should the political will emerge to restore genuine justice, this sentence would not stand a chance in any court and would inevitably be overturned.