Yuri Blagodarov

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.