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In the village of Konstantinovka in the Amur region (Russia’s Far East), the deputy head of the local branch of the Russian Union of the Elderly, Viktor Komlev, is to stand trial for repeat “discrediting” of the army (Part 1, Article 280.3 of the Russian Criminal Code). OVD-Info spotted the case file on the court’s website.
The case was submitted to the court on 2 June. The date of the first hearing has not yet been set.
It is not yet known exactly what Komlev, the elderly activist, is being accused of.
In March 2024, Komlev was fined 30,000 rubles (approximately US$330) under the administrative article on discrediting the army (Part 1, Article 20.3.3 of the Russian Administrative Offences Code). In the court’s decision, it stated that Komlev had reposted on Odnoklassniki information “discrediting the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the special operation,” and in 2023 he published the following post:
“I would very much like to divide my friends into two categories. Those who stand for people and therefore are against this slaughter—a slaughter modestly called the ‘special military operation.’ And those non-humans who keep sending their loved ones into this meat grinder. Do not ever try to find me again. I no longer exist for you…”
Komlev pleaded guilty in court.
A few days before the trial, the Telegram channel “Blagoveshchensk No. 1” published a video filmed by security forces after Komlev’s detention. One of them asked Komlev: “You’re liking ‘Glory to Ukraine.’ Is that normal or what?.” Another clarified whether the page in question belonged to Komlev. At the time, his profile picture featured the slogan “No to War.”
The channel also pointed out that publicly, Komlev had supported the “special military operation.” They published an extract from an interview in which he spoke about the work of the local Russian Union of the Elderly branch: “We are now also helping our soldiers fighting in the ‘special military operation’—we are making camouflage nets, pouring trench candles, and collecting parcels.”
Judging by Komlev’s page on Odnoklassniki, following the court’s decision in the administrative case, he continued to like anti-war posts, which, due to specific features of the social network, then appeared on his page.