A postgraduate student from St. Petersburg, who was imprisoned for vandalizing a military recruitment office in protest against the war in Ukraine, has been released from custody, according to independent media reports on Wednesday.

Vladimir Mironov, 27, was detained in February 2023 after he broke windows and spray-painted anti-war messages on the walls of an army enlistment center.

In July 2024, he received a four-year prison sentence for charges related to disturbing public order and “discrediting” the Russian military.

However, in February, an appellate court shortened Mironov’s sentence to three years and four months, taking into account the time he had already spent in pre-trial detention.

Although the total term had not yet fully elapsed, Russian law stipulates that time served in pre-trial detention is calculated at 1.5 days for each day spent, which meant that Mironov had effectively completed his sentence by the time of his release on Wednesday.

Mironov, who attends the St. Petersburg Academic University, acknowledged some responsibility for his actions and compensated for the damages caused. The slogans he painted included phrases like “No to war,” “Stop the killing,” and “How much longer can you kill?”

The Memorial human rights organization classified Mironov as a political prisoner.

The Telegram channel RusNews posted footage of his release from a penal colony in St. Petersburg, where Mironov commented that his time in prison was “manageable” as he was “surrounded by good people.”