Oleg Gumenyuk, the former mayor of Vladivostok, had his 12-year prison sentence for bribery annulled after being honored with a state award during his service in the Russian military, the Primorye regional court announced on Wednesday.

Gumenyuk, who held the mayoral position in the Far Eastern port city from 2018 to 2021, was found guilty in 2023 of accepting a bribe worth millions of rubles, a charge he has consistently denied.

In 2024, he enlisted in the Russian army following legislation that permits prisoners to have their sentences suspended or annulled if they successfully complete military service or gain certain state honors. This law was introduced by President Vladimir Putin as part of initiatives aimed at increasing the number of soldiers participating in the conflict in Ukraine.

The Primorye court system stated that the regional bailiff service ceased enforcing Gumenyuk’s prison sentence on July 29, 2025, after he was granted the Order of St. George by presidential decree.

The court emphasized that Putin’s decree permitted Gumenyuk to be “completely excused from serving his sentence” from the date he received his award.

Additionally, a court in Vladivostok on Monday lifted the restrictions on Gumenyuk’s properties and vehicles.

His attorney, Alexander Kitayev, informed the business newspaper Kommersant that Gumenyuk served in a military unit for convicts, sustained injuries, and has since healed. Kitayev noted that he is still in the military but is no longer part of that specific unit.