“I returned to the city with victory”

Former mayor of Yaroslavl Evgeny Urlashov was released after 12 and a half years in prison - and wrote a song

Former mayor of Yaroslavl Evgeny Urlashov, who spent 12 and a half years in prison on charges of taking a bribe, wrote a song dedicated to his hometown and its residents.

He published his composition on Facebook, accompanied by a video with views of Yaroslavl and archival footage from his time as mayor.

Urlashov sings that he returned to the city “with victory.” “Fight, win, don’t give up and believe - everything is in your hands, in the hands of God” - this is how one of the verses sounds.

In another verse it is sung that Russia’s troubles will one day end: “Victory will be crowned with a crown of peace, we all deserve it.”

Here are the lyrics of Urlashov’s song in its entirety:

Evgeny Urlashov took over as mayor of Yaroslavl on April 1, 2012. He ran for election as a self-nominated candidate and was the last mayor of Yaroslavl to be elected by residents.

In July 2013, Urlashov was detained. A criminal case was opened against the mayor based on a statement from the director of the Radostroy company, Sergei Shmelev, who claimed that Urlashov and his team extorted money from the company. The mayor was later accused of accepting a bribe from another local businessman.

In 2016, Urlashov was sentenced to 12 and a half years in a maximum security colony on charges of attempted bribery in the amount of 14 million rubles and receiving a bribe in the amount of 17 million rubles. He did not admit his guilt. Urlashov served his sentence in colonies in the Yaroslavl and Tver regions. He was released on December 30, 2025.