Former Yakutia parliament deputy Sergey Nikonov, sentenced to 10 years in prison for rape and murder, avoided punishment by receiving the Zhukov medal from Putin, reports the Telegram channel «Spicy Yakutia» citing the award decree.
At the end of 2023, Nikonov was sentenced to 10 years in prison for rape and assault. In the colony, he signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense, in July 2024 he went to war in Ukraine, and already in August he returned to Yakutsk after being wounded.
According to «Spicy Yakutia», Vladimir Putin signed the award decree last December. In the open decrees published on the legal information portal, there is no information about Nikonov's award.
In March 2024, the State Duma passed a law allowing prisoners to be released from responsibility after receiving a state award for military service. According to it, sentences are replaced with suspended ones from the moment of receiving the state award or discharge from military service.