Maxim Petryakov
Maxim Petryakov, born 1995, Mordovia. Charges: Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries); “Maxim Petryakov's case on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces”. Sentence (August 5, 2025): 1 year and 6 months of suspended imprisonment, with a prohibition on engaging in activities related to the… Status: at large.
In brief
Mordovia · Saransk · Anti-war cases
Sentence
1 year 6 months
1 year and 6 months of suspended imprisonment, with a prohibition on engaging in activities related to the administration of websites and online channels using electronic or information and communication networks, including the Internet, as well as creating user accounts (accounts) on social networks hosted on such networks, and publishing messages or other materials on publicly accessible information and communication networks, including the Internet, for a period of 2 years.
No information about an appeal ruling.
Charges
- Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries
Full wording of the charges
On 14 May 2024 Petryakov was fined three times for 15 thousand rubles under the administrative article on discrediting the army (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The reason were comments in the social media network "VKontakte": October 2022: "Irina this is a threat or your stuttering. And tell me your children are serving under contract. They get money. So they are mercenaries. Killers. God didn't create weapons. But every one of you bastards disowned your son by sending him off to war and saying, "God be with you." October 2022: "What term are you talking about? To the last on both sides. Everyone was afraid of war. Here's a war for you. Where is our president...? It's like VVP has been working for Nato for a long time. Just pretending to save us. But in reality they're destroying everyone in the war. We're brothers and sisters of the same blood. So two birds with one stone ... the further this goes on, the clearer it becomes." February 2024: "Nina, is that what you want to tell the people of Ukraine? Russia left no stone unturned. Great help from the Banderites!!!"; "Why don't you, nobody say how the Russian Federation has turned Ukraine around!? How many strategic objects were destroyed, how the infrastructure was destroyed. Why are you all silent? Or do you only rejoice in reports and figures that the Russian Federation bombed there. And you all thought that the second side of the coin would not show up. Nobody expected to get a surrender. Why aren't you happy when the Russian Federation launches a missile strike?!? And when you get hit on the head in return, you don't like it anymore, you squeal". The criminal case was initiated after Petryakov's new comment, which he left on 17 September 2024 under a certain news post.
Latest event
September 1, 2025 — added to the rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
Timeline
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Imprisonment begins
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 1 year 6 months
Criminal case
Maxim Petryakov's case on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces
- Case number
- 1-123/2025
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Details and sources
Full summary
Resident of Saransk. In May 2024, he was fined three times for 15,000 rubles under the administrative article on discrediting the army (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) because of his comments on VKontakte. Later, a criminal case on discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was brought against him. In May 2025, the case went to court. On 5 August 2025, Petryakov was sentenced to a year and a half suspended sentence.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.