Human rights activist Gregory Winter has been released.

The release of the former regional coordinator of the For Human Rights movement was reported by Slovo Zashchiteti and OVD-Info. 

Winter and 22 cats he rescued while serving his sentence were released from prison together. They have already found homes or are currently in foster care. The human rights activist plans to take four of the rescued cats home with him during the holidays.

Gregory Winter — A 59-year-old activist, he coordinated the Vologda branch of the "For Human Rights" movement, participated in protecting forests from deforestation, and defended the rights of prisoners. Before his imprisonment, he was also involved in rescuing animals. 

In January 2024, Winter was sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly spreading "fake news" about the army. The human rights activist was charged with posting a comment on VKontakte about the Russian army's actions in Buche и Irpen in March 2022.

Before his imprisonment, he had nine cats, which he found on the street in critical condition. He had to find homes for the animals—Winter lived alone and feared he wouldn't survive the rest of his sentence in prison because he had diabetes.

In 2024, he wrote an appeal to Putin, in which, due to his diagnosis, he asked for permission to voluntarily euthanize him if he was given a real sentence.