Name: Vaag Yuriy Vladimirovich
Date of Birth: August 21, 1975
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 2 years 6 months with restriction of liberty for a term of 10 months; The main punishment in the form of imprisonment is considered suspended with a probationary period of 3 years

Biography

Yuriy Vaag is a peaceful family man from Perm who had to defend his good name in the courts along with 4 other believers. In May 2021, he was found guilty of participation in the activities of an extremist organization and the court sentenced him to 2.5 years of probation.

Yuriy was born in 1975 in the city of Lesosibirsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), where his parents were exiled because of their nationality during the Second World War. They were later rehabilitated. Yuriy has an elder sister.

As a child, Yuriy was fond of photography of landscapes and portraits, cycling and the construction of auto and aircraft models. After school, he mastered the specialty of a crane operator and took courses in electricians. He worked in his specialty, and also served buildings, first in Lesosibirsk, and then in Perm, where he moved.

When Yuri served in the army, his own sister shared with him what she learned from the Bible. He was deeply touched by this wise book, and the fact that it changes people's lives for the better.

In 1996, Yuriy married Svetlana, with whom they raised a son and daughter in accordance with Christian commandments. The children already have their own families. The spouses love to spend time in nature, receive guests, go to the theater.

Speaking in court, Yuriy emphasized : "We have never been extremists, because we learn from the Bible, and the Bible teaches truth, love and kindness... I have not done anything reprehensible either against God or against the people around me."

Case History

In September 2018, searches were carried out in the homes of believers in Perm and surrounding cities. After three days in the temporary detention facility, Igor Turik and Viktor Kuchkov were placed under house arrest. Shortly before that, the FSB opened a criminal case against them and Boris Burylov. As it turned out, the special services tapped their phones and conducted covert surveillance. Later, 2 more defendants appeared in the case - Alexander Inozemtsev and Yuri Vaag. Turik and Kuchkov spent more than three months under house arrest. In December 2020, the case was submitted to the Industrial District Court of Perm for consideration by Judge Viktor Podyniglazov. In April 2021, the prosecutor requested 9 years in prison for Turik, 7 years in prison for Burylov and Kuchkov, and 4 years in prison for Vaag and Inozemtsev. In May 2021, the court sentenced the believers to suspended sentences ranging from 2.5 to 7 years. In August 2021, the appeal upheld the verdict, and 9 months later, the cassation approved this decision.
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