Press Release, 28.04.2025

Photo: Vladimir Yefimov / Photo from social media

The Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (UFSIN) for Kamchatka Krai is sending journalist Vladimir Yefimov to serve his sentence for “discrediting the army” in a penal colony in the Primorye region instead of Kamchatka. The Penitentiary Service claims there are no available places in the Kamchatka colony and, in violation of federal law on sentence execution, is sending Yefimov to another region. The politician has medical contraindications for air travel. Before departing for Primorye, Yefimov fell ill and currently remains at home. Vladimir Yefimov’s defence team is challenging the UFSIN directive in court.

On 18 April, Vladimir Yefimov arrived at the regional UFSIN to receive instructions for serving his sentence in a second criminal case. Yefimov was sentenced to 18 months in a penal colony under the article on “discrediting the army” (Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code). An UFSIN inspector informed Yefimov that there were no vacancies in the men’s section of the colony and issued the journalist instructions to serve his sentence in a correctional facility in Primorsky Krai. Later, Yefimov was given a route receipt – the equivalent of an airline ticket from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Vladivostok.

Vladimir Yefimov is 70 years old and has been diagnosed with chronic diseases; he has had cardiac vessel stenting. He receives necessary medications free of charge in his domestic region monthly, according to the law, this can only be done at the place of registration. Furthermore, the journalist fears he could die during the flight. Yefimov wrote about this, as well as the need to occasionally communicate with his 91-year-old mother, in an application addressed to the head of the Kamchatka UFSIN requesting that he be allowed to serve his sentence in Kamchatka.

The application officially remains unanswered, but in conversation with Yefimov, the UFSIN inspector threatened that the politician would be placed on the federal wanted list if he did not board the plane, and that UFSIN “takes up the responsibility for his flight”.

On 20 April, Vladimir Yefimov was forced to go to the airport to depart for Primorye. After checking in for the flight, the journalist fell ill, an ambulance was called, which recorded high blood pressure. Yefimov’s airline ticket was cancelled.

Currently, Vladimir Yefimov is at home. UFSIN has been notified of the incident at the airport but has not yet contacted the Kamchatka Yabloko leader. Vladimir Yefimov’s defence has filed a lawsuit with the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court with a complaint against the UFSIN for Kamchatka Krai regarding violations of Article 73, Parts 1 and 2 of the Criminal Executive Code of the Russian Federation. According to the legislation, Yefimov, who was convicted under Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code, must serve his sentence in correctional facilities within the region where he resides and where he was convicted. If it is impossible to place the convicted person in existing correctional facilities, the convicted person should be sent to a correctional facility in the nearest region.

Yefimov considers the decision of the Penitentiary Service to send him to another region an attempt to get rid of a political prisoner with large media and public support. The journalist hopes that he will be allowed to serve his sentence in the Kamchatka penal colony. According to unconfirmed information, the colony is indeed overcrowded, and convicts are “queuing” to serve their sentences. The Kamchatka Yabloko leader assures that he is ready to wait his “turn” and will not attempt to illegally avoid punishment.

It should be noted that Vladimir Yefimov has three criminal cases against him. In March 2023, he was fined 200,000 roubles for “discrediting the army” under Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, with a ban on maintaining social media. In January 2025, in a second criminal case on “discrediting the army” (Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code), Yefimov was sentenced to two years in a penal colony with a ban on administering internet resources. Later, the appellate court reduced the term to 18 months. In April 2025, the journalist was sentenced under two articles – on “demonstrating extremist symbols” and “discrediting the army” (Article 282.4 Part 1; Article 280.3 Part 1 of the Criminal Code) – to two years in a penal colony. Taking into account the existing sentence in the second criminal case – 18 months in a penal colony – the total term of imprisonment amounted to two years. The decision on the third criminal case is being appealed.

Vladimir Yefimov was born in 1954. He is a journalist and founder of TVK, the first non-state television company in the USSR. In January 2021, Yefimov received an award from the local branch of the Russian Union of Journalists, and in the same year, he headed the Public Expert Council for the Development of Civil Society in Kamchatka.

The Memorial human rights society has recognised Kamchatka Yabloko leader Vladimir Yefimov as a political prisoner. The organisation believes that the persecution of the 70-year-old journalist is due to his public consistent criticism of the special operation in Ukraine, and that imprisonment at his age poses a real threat to his health.