We give here a typical example of how the government blames a pacifist.

Nikolay Yarovoy is a 55 years-old Ukrainian. He lived in the small Ukrainian town of Korostyshiv. He is a typical Russian speaking Ukrainian.

He worked as a common construction worker in the civil service. He is an active member of the Ukrainian Committee “Stop the Blockade of Cuba” and the Ukrainian Socialist Political Party ‘Derzhava’. 

He worked honestly with his own hands all his life. He stands up for international solidarity and friendship, opposes war, and believes in international brotherhood as a pacifist.

Following the 2014 Ukrainian coup, a new Neo-Nazi-led government was formed that aggressively intervened in the territory of the Donbass regions that opposed the coup and the new neo-Nazis government. Nikolay Yarovoy supported Ukrainians in the Donbass regions, advocated peace, and opposed the cruel intolerable conditions that the Ukrainian government imposed on all Russian-speaking people.

As this civil conflict escalated, and Russian brothers and sisters provided military aid to Russian-speaking population of Donbass, who were dying without justice simply on charges of political opposition and speaking the Russian language. The Ukrainian government deployed its military armed forces against the unarmed people, and the civil conflict intensified significantly.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men who opposed Zelensky’s regime decided to flee the country to avoid forced conscription into the Ukrainian army, which was being recruited by Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

Till this day, Ukraine’s border remains closed, and no man between the ages of 16 and 60 can leave the country. Border guards shoot anyone who tries to flee the country, and anti-personnel military mines have been installed on the border. Many Russian-Ukrainians men, who reside in Ukraine, do not want to fight with their Russian brothers and are looking for different ways to avoid forced conscription and flee the country.

Nikolay Yarovoy helped the men leave. He organized a Telegram information channel, informed people about more effective and proven routs, gave advice on what to pack for a hike, and explained the best practices that lead to successful results. His Telegram channel was run on a volunteer basis, unpaid, and Nikolay supported it in his free time between work shifts.

However, the Secret Bureau of Ukraine (SBU) determined that this channel was extremely important and stated that it promoted content not in Ukrainian, but in Russian, and that its content was contrary to the current Ukrainian regime. This channel has helped many men escape Ukraine and survive. The SBU conducted a special operation and identified the pacifist. After numerous death threats without trial or investigation, that is common practice in Ukraine, Nikolay Yarovoy decided to flee. But the SBU managed to catch and detain him.

They tortured him for three months and tried to bit out him to confess to the crime. He had never done anything bad in his life and had never bent over under torture. He was lucky that with the help of local lawyers he finally received official allegations and his case went to the judicial system. The SBU charged him with several counts: i) Assistance to other persons crossing the border illegally; ii) Public speaking in Russian language; iii) Opposing the Russian invasion and spreading information that this is a civil conflict; iv) Publicly stated intentions to make peace with Russian enemies; v) Opposition to government policy and thus betrayal of the country, etc. The total charges carry sentences ranging from 20 years to life in prison. Currently, since 2023 his case has been pending in the Ukrainian criminal court for more than 3 years. He is being held in prison without the bell due to the gravity of the criminal charges against him.

His place of detention:

Nokolay Yarovoy

VINNITSA VIPRAVNA COLONY No. 86

21100, Ukraine, Vinnytsia, Privokzalna street, budinok 26

Please write him a postcard o letter of friendship and solidarity, wishing him strength and peace.