The former mayor of Yaroslavl has been sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison on corruption charges, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.
Evgeny Urlashov, who was elected as mayor of the central Russian city in April 2012, was also fined 42 million rubles ($630,000) by the court.
Urlashov, 49, had been found guilty of extorting a 17 million ruble bribe ($2.5 million) from a local businessman.
His advisor Alexei Lopatin was also found guilty of bribery and sentenced to 7 years in prison. Deputy Mayor Dmitry Donskoy, who was also implicated in the case, was acquitted of all charges.
Urlashov has repeatedly denied committing the crime and claimed that his case was political. At the time of his arrest, Urlashov was the only opposition mayor of a large Russian city.
"The judge was specifically cruel," Urlashov’s lawyer, Ksenia Karpinskaya, told The Moscow Times. "Criminals get lesser sentences for crimes involving real violence. My client got 12 and a half years for a bribe which he never saw and has never been proved."
Elected during the wave of opposition protests in Moscow, Urlashov managed to hold this post for just over a year. Shortly before his arrest, he had announced plans to run for governor of the Yaroslavl Region.
Urlashov's arrest and prosecution is far from a unique case in modern Russia. Since Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, Russia has arrested, detained or interrogated the mayors of more than 25 cities.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
