Iuris Iurashs
Iuris Iurashs, Occupied territory of Donetska oblast. Charges: Article 207.3 part 2 item d, Russian Criminal Code (Dissemination of false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government…); Article 207.3 part 2 items v, d, Russian Criminal Code (Dissemination of false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government…); “Iuris Iurashs' case of mercenarism and "fakes" about the Russian Armed Forces”. Sentence (September 24, 2024): 17 years' imprisonment in a strict regime colony in absentia. Status: not in Russia.
In brief
Occupied territory of Donetska oblast · Military personnel
Sentence
17 years
imprisonment in a strict regime colony in absentia
No information about an appeal ruling.
Charges
- Article 207.3 part 2 item d, Russian Criminal Code — Dissemination of false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries (based on political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity, or on grounds of hatred or enmity in relation to any social group)
- Article 207.3 part 2 items v, d, Russian Criminal Code — Dissemination of false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries (using an official position, by a group of individuals, with falsification of evidence, for selfish motives, or out of hatred)
Full wording of the charges
Prosecutors allege that between September 2022 and June 2024, the defendant fought alongside Ukrainian forces as a mercenary, receiving payments totalling over 2 million roubles. The case also cites an April 2022 online post in which Iurashs allegedly presented as factual an account of Russian military forces killing civilians and destroying homes and social infrastructure in Bucha and Irpin towns in Ukraine. These claims - relating to events he did not personally witness - were repeated in an interview with Radio Liberty Ukraine.
Latest event
September 24, 2024 — first-instance verdict
The court delivered a guilty verdict: 17 years.
Criminal case
Iuris Iurashs' case of mercenarism and "fakes" about the Russian Armed Forces
- Case number
- 2-272/2024
Details and sources
Full summary
A Latvian national, he fought alongside Ukrainian forces during the conflict. Russian authorities prosecuted him in absentia on charges of mercenary activity and spreading deliberately false information about Russia's military.
The case centred on two incidents classified as disseminating "falsehoods" about Russian forces: an online publication and an interview with Radio Liberty Ukraine. According to TASS, citing the Prosecutor General's Office, in both instances he allegedly described Russian military actions in Bucha and Irpin as criminal.
On 24 September 2024, a Russian court sentenced him in absentia to 17 years in a high-security penal colony.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Latvia
Other people prosecuted under Article 207.3 part 2 item d, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.