Yaroslav Shirshikov
Yaroslav Shirshikov, born 1987, Sverdlovsk Oblast. Charges: Article 205.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Public incitement to terrorism or justification of terrorism (using media or the internet)); “Yaroslav Shirshikov's case of public justification of terrorism”, opened on January 1, 2023. Sentence (August 13, 2025): 5 years' imprisonment in a general regime colony, 2 years' restriction of liberty. Status: at large. Recognition: Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, June 3, 2024.
In brief
Sverdlovsk Oblast · Yekaterinburg · Office workers · Anti-war cases, Terrorism cases, Cases related to mass actions
Sentence
5 years
imprisonment in a general regime colony, 2 years' restriction of liberty
First instance, February 27, 2024: 2 years
Charges
- Article 205.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Public incitement to terrorism or justification of terrorism (using media or the internet)
- Article 128.1 part 5, Russian Criminal Code
- Article 212 part 3, Russian Criminal Code
Full wording of the charges
He commented on his Facebook page on actions against the construction of the St. Catherine's Church in the square near the Drama Theatre, which was considered as calls for mass riots; he also posted on his Facebook page a screenshot of his appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he called the Presidential Envoy to the Urals Federal District, Nikolai Tsukanov, as a "Polish spy"
Latest event
October 20, 2026 — case status changed
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners, June 3, 2024
Timeline
· Cassation ruling
upheld
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 2 years
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
· Preventive measure: travel ban (written undertaking)
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
· Criminal case opened
Yaroslav Shirshikov's case of public justification of terrorism
· Persecution ends
· Persecution begins
Yaroslav Shirshikov's case on calls for mass riots and defamation
Criminal case
Yaroslav Shirshikov's case on calls for mass riots and defamation
- Case number
- 1-34/2020(1-622/2019;)
Thematic group: The square versus the temple
Yaroslav Shirshikov's case of public justification of terrorism
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Details and sources
Full summary
A resident of Yekaterinburg, a PR-specialist. He was a participant in protests against the construction of a church in the Drama Theatre Square in 2019 and was sentenced to seven months in a settlement penal colony on charges of inciting mass riots and defamation.
On 30 March 2023, he was the first to report the disappearance of The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was accused of espionage: Shirshikov wrote that he had met with the journalist and had given him an interview.
It later became known that a case had been opened against Shirshikov for justification of terrorism due to a publication about the death of Vladlen Tatarsky. He was taken into custody. On 20 June 2023, he was released on recognisance not to leave. On 27 February 2024, Shirshikov was sentenced to two years in a general regime penal colony. On 17 October 2024, the court of appeal increased his sentence to five years, considering the motive of political hostility as an aggravating factor.
In April 2025, Shirshikov had his left eye removed at the Ekaterinburg City Hospital.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
- Place of detention
- Penal colony No. 2, Sverdlovsk Oblast
- Persecution episodes
- 2
Other people prosecuted under Article 128.1 part 5, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.