Five years in prison for a comment about 'Azov'
A court in St. Petersburg has found 43-year-old history teacher Igor Tyron guilty of 'justifying terrorism,' as well as illegal possession of weapons allegedly discovered during a house search. According to investigators, the school teacher posted positive comments on social media about the Ukrainian 'Azov' regiment.
A military court in St. Petersburg has sentenced 43-year-old history teacher Igor Tyron to five years in prison. The man, who comes from from the village of Nivshery in the Komi Republic, was found guilty of "justifying terrorism" and alleged illegal possession of weapons. According to Telegram channel "Komi Politzek," the prosecutors provided no details about the weapons possession.
According to the investigation, Tyron in the period 2022-2023 allegedly posted comments on social media that positively describe the actions of the "Azov" regiment, the Ukrainian armed force that is considered as a terrorist organisation in Russia. The exact wording of his publications is not disclosed in the case materials.
The teacher was arrested on December 26, 2024. Initially, he was charged only with justifying terrorism, but later the case with weapons possession was added.
"Komi Politzek" reported that the verdict in Tyron's case was delivered very quickly:
“We are shocked at how quickly Igor was sentenced. It happened literally in one session. The case was submitted to the 1st Western District Military Court on April 4, 2025, and just eighteen days later, on April 22, Judge Shishkin Evgeny Ivanovich delivered a guilty verdict to Igor,” - activists noted.
Igor Tyron has become the second history teacher from the Komi Republic to be convicted on charges of justifying terrorism. The first was Nikita Tushkanov, a teacher from the town of Mikun. He was detained in December 2022 for social media posts about the explosion on the Crimean Bridge. In May 2023, the Second Western District Military Court sentenced Tushkanov to 5.5 years in prison, but later the appellate court reduced the sentence to five years in a general regime colony.
