On January 28, a court acquitted Samara residents Sergey Yudin and Vladimir Baranov of drug trafficking charges after human rights activists proved that police had fabricated their cases, according to the organization Public Verdict.
The court dismissed the criminal cases against Sergey Yudin and Vladimir Baranov and recognized their right to rehabilitation. Yudin had spent eight years in prison, while Baranov served six and a half years on falsified charges.
Human rights activists from Public Verdict defended Yudin and Baranov's interests and, in 2022, secured convictions for the police officers involved.
Between 2015 and 2017, police officers fabricated drug trafficking cases and coerced confessions to meet performance targets. The Samara case has become Russia’s largest known case of police torture and evidence falsification, with 17 individuals officially recognized as victims.