A Russian man has been sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony after being convicted of state treason over photographs and videos he allegedly took of the graves of Russian soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine.
Nikolai Shcherbakov, 48, from Yaroslavl, was sentenced by the Yaroslavl Regional Court on September 8, 2026. Russian authorities alleged that he repeatedly visited a memorial cemetery, secretly photographed and filmed military graves and then sent the material to Ukrainian intelligence services.
The case has attracted international attention because it is believed to be the first known conviction in Russia specifically linking the photographing of military graves to a treason charge.
Nikolai Shcherbakov sentenced to 14 years
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According to the Yaroslavl Regional Court, Shcherbakov began systematically visiting the memorial cemetery in October 2024.
The court said he secretly recorded burial sites belonging to military personnel and transmitted the information through a messaging service to representatives of Ukrainian security services.
He was convicted under Article 275 of Russia’s Criminal Code, which covers state treason, and received 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony. The sentence also includes a further restriction on his freedom after his imprisonment.
It was not immediately clear where Shcherbakov would serve the sentence.
Reports also said it was unclear whether he admitted guilt during the proceedings.
Why were the graves photographed?
Russian authorities have alleged that the photographs were not simply ordinary cemetery pictures.
According to the court’s account, Shcherbakov collected information about the graves and transmitted it to Ukrainian intelligence services.
The allegations are significant because information about Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine has become highly sensitive amid the continuing war.
The photographs could potentially contain identifying information about individual servicemen, although the publicly available reports do not establish exactly what information Shcherbakov allegedly provided or how Ukrainian intelligence supposedly used it.
First known treason conviction of its kind
The case is particularly notable because Russia has recently increased scrutiny of people photographing military graves.
Independent Russian media outlet Mediazona previously reported growing numbers of arrests involving people accused of photographing graves belonging to Russian servicemen.
Some detainees were reportedly forced to record apology videos after being detained by security officials.
Meduza reported that Dmitry Treshchanin, an editor at Mediazona, had warned about an increase in such detentions.
The development has raised concerns because photographs of military graves can contain information about Russian soldiers who died during the war.
Other arrests over military graves
Shcherbakov’s case is not an isolated incident.
In June 2026, several people in Russia’s Tomsk region were detained in a separate case involving allegations that information about Russian military personnel was being passed to Ukraine.
Two women were also detained in Yekaterinburg in June after reportedly photographing military graves. Russian authorities subsequently increased attention around cemeteries in some regions.
The cases have created an unusual situation in which ordinary activity such as photographing a grave can potentially attract scrutiny from Russian security agencies when authorities believe the images are connected to intelligence gathering.
Russia’s wider wartime security crackdown
The prosecution of Shcherbakov comes amid heightened security measures in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian authorities have increasingly pursued cases involving alleged espionage, treason and cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence services.
State-treason charges can carry extremely severe prison sentences, particularly when authorities claim that information was deliberately supplied to an enemy state or its intelligence services.
In Shcherbakov’s case, however, the publicly available court information primarily describes the alleged photographing and transmission of information about military graves.
What happens next?
The Yaroslavl Regional Court’s press service said the verdict had not yet entered into legal force at the time of its announcement, meaning the case may still be subject to legal procedures.
The case is also likely to receive further attention because of its unusual circumstances and the growing number of reports involving people photographing military graves in Russia.
For now, Shcherbakov remains convicted of state treason and has been sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
His case illustrates the increasingly sensitive nature of information surrounding Russian military casualties and the severe legal consequences that Russian authorities can impose when they allege that such information has been shared with Ukraine.
Read more background on the growing arrests over photographs of Russian military graves in Mediazona’s report via Meduza.
