Yuri Blagodarov
Yuri Blagodarov, born 1954, Mari El. Charges: Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries); “Yuri Blagodarov's case of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and incitement of hatred”. Sentence (November 13, 2024): a fine in the amount of 400,000 roubles. Status: location unknown.
In brief
Mari El · Yoshkar-Ola · Pensioners · Anti-war cases, Extremism cases
Sentence
a fine in the amount of 400,000 roubles
Upheld June 3, 2025
Charges
- Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries
- Article 282 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Incitement of hatred or enmity
Full wording of the charges
According to Blagodarov, the accusation of discrediting the army was linked to a comment he made on his own poem dedicated to "mothers and wives of soldiers", which read: "By signing up for a contract, going to a foreign country to kill, you betray the traditions of our ancestors. Our Karts (traditional Mari spirits or deities) do not support fratricidal war for the sake of enthronement (expansion of influence) of the Russian nation. Respect for the language is not supported by war and land expansion, but by mutual exchange of cultural events, festivals, folklore, and so on." In October 2023, Blagodarov was fined 15,000 roubles under the administrative article on discrediting the Army (Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) for a comment on the social network VKontakte, which said: "Eternal memory to the hero. And how long will we tolerate. Slavic heroes are dying on this side, other Slavic heroes are dying on that side. But Putin doesn't care. He wants more dead. He desires glory. And glory rests on victory. So he is putting our guys, young guys, the successors of the family, on a pedestal to shout from above - "I have won". But it will not be a shout, rather a rasp from blood flowing like a river. Cheremis, wake up. No to war! Alal Lijzhe! ["May this be pleasing in your eyes" in Mari]".
Latest event
June 3, 2025 — cassation
The court upheld the verdict.
Timeline
· Cassation ruling
upheld
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Persecution begins
Yuri Blagodarov's second case
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict
Criminal case
Yuri Blagodarov's second case
- Case number
- 1-510/2025
Yuri Blagodarov's case of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and incitement of hatred
- Case number
- 1-584/2024
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Details and sources
Full summary
A resident of Yoshkar-Ola. A criminal case was opened against him for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.
In addition, in February 2024, Blagodarov was sentenced to 20 hours of community service under the administrative article on incitement of hatred (Article 20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences) due to a series of posts and comments that were deemed to incite hatred against the Mari people who had adopted Christianity.
When the criminal case reached the court, it became known that Blagodarov was also being charged with incitement of hatred under the criminal code.
On 3 November 2024, Blagodarov was detained in connection with an event where he sold his books and distributed leaflets about the genocide of the Mari people.
On 13 November 2024, the Yoshkar-Ola resident was fined 400,000 rubles. After donations started coming in to pay the fine, his bank card was blocked.
In January 2025, Blagodarov was summoned for questioning in a new case, reportedly opened under the article on incitement of hatred because of a post in which he called on the head of the Mari Traditional Religion organization, “Obshchina ‘Mari Kumaltysh’,” in the Mari-Terukskiy district, Grigory Ivanov, to resist Christianity. On 5 September 2025, the court closed this case, declaring the activist legally insane due to vascular dementia. Blagodarov was ordered to receive outpatient psychiatric treatment, but no guardian has been appointed yet. The activist did not contest the court’s decision.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
- Persecution episodes
- 2
Other people prosecuted under Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.