Court overturns sentence for Ural police officer who revealed hidden corpses

A court overturned the verdict for former Ural police officer Yuri Zolotko, who exposed corpses hidden under a grave, and his punishment could now be harsher.

Apr 20, 2026

Police officer Yuri Zolotko did not remain silent about the horrific discovery and later received a prison term.
Source:
Filipp Sapegin / E1.RU

In Chelyabinsk, the Seventh Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction overturned the verdict for former police officer Yuri Zolotko from Shali. In summer 2025, he was sentenced to four years in a general regime colony for exceeding official authority. The case of the ex-police officer was sent for review, but according to his wife, there is no reason for optimism.

Three unidentified corpses were discovered hidden under a grave in a local cemetery.

Источник:

Artem Chudinov / E1.RU

‘We had a cassation court, and it canceled the exonerating episodes. My husband is already in prison, and they are making decisions even worse! They sent it back to the Shalinsky District Court,’ ex-police officer«s wife Kristina Zolotko told E1.RU correspondent.

We have reported extensively on Yuri Zolotko«s story. In 2023, he revealed that his superiors were hiding unidentified corpses in a local cemetery. After Yuri Zolotko accused the police leadership, several repeat offenders and brawlers filed complaints against him on the same day. Suddenly, they remembered that they had felt physical pain during their detention several years ago.

As a result, the former police officer was accused of beating during interrogations and found guilty.