Evtushenko Polina Sergeevna

On July 12, 2023, Polina Yevtushenko took her daughter to kindergarten. On leaving the territory of the institution, she was detained on charges of “treason”: “They threw me around as if I was not a person, but a bag of garbage. I remembered this and cried. The worst thing was the detention. It is too rough, although they took me gently. It could have been worse. I couldn’t think for a long time. This is a very strange feeling when there are no thoughts at all and you are trying to think about something, remember at least something, but you can’t,” Yevtushenko wrote in letters from the PFRSI at the Samara colony, where she was visited by court decision.

At first, Yevtushenko was kept in solitary confinement; later neighbors appeared, who were constantly changing. Almost all of them were persecuted on political charges. For example, Yevtushenko sat with Ukrainian Valentina Tagirova, politician and blogger Alina Lushavina, and anti-war “state traitors” Irina Izmailova and Elena Guryleva.

Before the start of the hearings on the merits, Yevtushenko tried to lead an active life in prison: she drew a lot, sold her drawing at an auction in support of a shelter for homeless animals, played sports, read a lot - books were given to her, including by subscribers of the “First Department”.

“In January, my daughter sent me T-shirts on which she used acrylic paints (they can be washed, they won’t wash off) and used her palms to paint swans on one, a lion cub on the other, and a sun on the sweatshirt. Her palms are imprinted on my T-shirts and I can wear them on myself. I still rejoice every time I look at them,” Yevtushenko wrote in 2024.

The publication Kholod published an investigation into the Yevtushenko case. Journalists found out that the denunciation against her was written by the provocateur Nikolai Komarov. He met Yevtushenko on social networks, invited him on friendly dates, during which he asked questions about the war in Ukraine, the “Freedom Russia Legion” and mobilization. He recorded all the conversations on a dictaphone, then re-edited them and took these recordings to the FSB. Yevtushenko was accused of “preparing for state treason” - she allegedly “ incited Komarov to commit state treason in the form of going over to the enemy’s side, namely, joining the armed formation “Russian Freedom Legion” to participate in hostilities against the Russian Armed Forces on the territory of Ukraine.” After the arrest, security forces studied Yevtushenko’s social networks and accused her under five more articles of the Criminal Code, including disseminating “fakes about the army.”

On March 6, 2026, Yevtushenko was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

July 13, 2023

The Samara District Court announced the selection of a preventive measure against a suspect in a crime under Part 1 of Art. 30, art. 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“preparation for treason”). The press service of the court reports that on July 13, 2023, Russian citizen P.S. Yevtushenko. detained for two months. As stated in the report, the woman “persuaded a resident of Samara to commit high treason in the form of going over to the enemy’s side, namely to join the armed formation “Russian Freedom Legion” to participate in hostilities against the Russian Armed Forces on the territory of Ukraine.”

September 21, 2023

Now Yevtushenko is accused not only of “preparing for treason,” but also of “public calls for terrorism” on the Internet and “promoting terrorist activities” for posts on Instagram.

February 27, 2024

While free, Yevtushenko helped animal shelters. It is more difficult to do this from a PFRSI cell (“Premises functioning as a pre-trial detention center”), but the prisoner found a way out. With the help of volunteers, Yevtushenko sold her drawing at auction for 15,000 rubles. The “Taking This Opportunity” platform, where the auction was held, transferred all the money to the “Road of Good” fund for helping homeless animals.

March 2024

In the spring of 2024, the investigation into the Yevtushenko case was completed . The final version of the indictment contains many more articles than previously reported. Yevtushenko will be tried for: “preparing for high treason” (Part 1 of Article 30, Article 275 of the Criminal Code), for talking about war, “promoting terrorist activities” (Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code), “public calls for extremist activities” in posts (Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code, two episodes, that is, for two posts), “public justification of terrorism” in posts (part 2 of article 205.2 of the Criminal Code, four episodes), “fakes about the army” (paragraph “e” of part 2 of article 207.3 of the Criminal Code, three episodes), “rehabilitation of Nazism” on the Internet (part 4 of article 354.1 of the Criminal Code). Yevtushenko faces up to 22.5 years in prison.

May 13, 2024

Yevtushenko spent the May holidays in a punishment cell for turning off the TV 10 minutes later than the allotted time. She was kept in a punishment cell from May 2 to May 10, she wrote about this in a letter to an employee of the Kholod publication: “In general, everything is fine there. The walls are my favorite color - green. The window looks directly at the birch trees and snow, you can even see the sky and the sun. In the first two hours, I froze near the window, enjoying the view of the evening sun and birch trees, and tears appeared in my eyes from the happiness of the beautiful view. It gave me great pleasure to be there [because] I saw the street every day, I walked along it, when we were taken for a walk to the courtyards in another building and to the shower,” Yevtushenko wrote.

May 30, 2024

Journalist of the publication “Kholod” Yulia Selikhova found out the name of the provocateur, because of whom Polina Yevtushenko could be sent to a colony for 22.5 years for talking about mobilization and posts on social networks. This is Nikolai Komarov from Samara. He was twice found guilty of theft, he infiltrated Navalny’s local Headquarters for the sake of provocations, is now under recognizance not to leave in a new criminal case, and his favorite book, judging by his page on VKontakte, is “Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler.

August 23, 2024

Human rights activists from Memorial believe that Yevtushenko’s charges are unfounded, politically motivated and illegal: “The paradoxical chronology and arbitrary nature of the charges brought against Yevtushenko suggests that the investigation is apparently trying to compensate for the weakness of the evidence with the number of charges.”

November 13, 2024

This was announced at a meeting to consider the case on its merits - the hearing was postponed due to Yevtushenko’s illness. Probably, the placement in the prison hospital is due to the fact that Yevtushenko previously suspected she had pneumonia and complained about the lack of treatment in the colony. The prisoner spent a week in the hospital.

Photo: Mediazona

March 24, 2025

Judge Igor Belkin, who is considering Yevtushenko’s case on the merits, added to the case materials the linguistic conclusion of a forensic expert with a higher philological education, Elena Novozhilova, who studied all the recordings of conversations between Komarov and Yevtushenko. Here are some conclusions from the examination:

— Nikolai Komarov is the initiator of numerous remarks, primarily about the Legion “Freedom of Russia” and about emigration, as well as “illocutionarily compelling remarks throughout the entire communication, including compulsion to a certain reaction.” As examples, Komarov’s phrases are given: “She exists in any case, you must agree, you don’t have to deny it,” “Paulin, just without any excuses, I’m telling you right away”;

— Before meetings with Yevtushenko, Komarov prepares for dialogue - he talks through the topics of conversation. Examples of Komarov’s quotes: “Weapons, fake”, “So, weapons, fake, with whom he is fighting. Screaming... Yes. So the weapon is fake. Yeah, weapons, fake, who he’s fighting with.” Komarov raises all these topics in his communication with Polina. Novozhilova notes that Komarov’s speech is not completely spontaneous, it is a speech on a previously known topic and according to a deliberate plan;

— “In the conversations presented in audio files, the communicative role of Komarov is a leader, a manipulator, the communicative role of Yevtushenko is a subordinate, an object of manipulation”;

— In Yevtushenko’s statements, expert Novozhilova did not find any signs of “involvement, recruitment or inducement to participate in the activities of terrorist organizations” of the “Freedom of Russia” Legion, as well as “signs of inclination or inducement to go over to the enemy’s side.”

January 14, 2026

Prosecutor Antonina Dolinina demanded that Polina Yevtushenko be sentenced to 18 years in prison, a ban on using the Internet for 6 years, and one year of restriction of freedom (this means that after her release, Yevtushenko will be required to report to the Federal Penitentiary Service one to four times a month and comply with certain prohibitions. For example, a ban on leaving the region). Dolinina also demanded that Polina’s mobile phone and laptop be confiscated.

Dolinina noted the motive of political hatred as aggravating circumstances. Mitigating factors include the presence of a minor child (Polina Yevtushenko’s daughter was seven years old in January 2026).

March 6, 2026

Judge Igor Belkin sentenced Polina Yevtushenko to 14 years in a general regime colony, a year of restriction of freedom and a four-year ban on administering websites. For a year, Polina will be prohibited from leaving her place of residence from 10 p.m. to 6 p.m., visiting places of public events, and moving without the consent of the authorities.

Other news

• August 4, 2023 “Putin is a fascist.” What is known about the blue-haired girl arrested on charges of treason due to Instagram posts and banknotes with anti-war inscriptions
• Investigation May 30, 2024 The mother of a six-year-old girl faces more than 20 years because of a provocateur. "Cold" found out who it is
• Help from Memorial August 23, 2024 “The Memorial considers Polina Yevtushenko a political prisoner.”
• Parsing January 27, 2026 What exactly were the words that brought the case?
• February 24, 2026 Last word before the verdict
• Letter March 4, 2026 A detailed story about meeting Komarov and the oddities in his behavior