A blogger from Tyumen, a major city in western Siberia, has been sent to a pre-trial detention centre over charges of justifying terrorism.

Anton Nesgovorov, the administrator of the Telegram channel “Tyumerika,” has been arrested on charges of justifying terrorism on the Internet (part 2, article 205.2 of the Criminal Code), reports 72.ru, citing his lawyer Pavel Rusnakov.

The blogger was taken into custody on 29 May. He is currently being held in Detention Centre No. 1.

According to preliminary information, the case against Nesgovorov was initiated over Telegram posts from 2022. Their content is not yet known.

The outlet “Nash Gorod” writes that Nesgovorov does not admit guilt.

The Telegram channel “Tyumerika” has 520 subscribers. On the channel, the blogger reported on local events in the city. After the invasion of Ukraine began, posts condemning the war began to appear. Nesgovorov also ran a YouTube channel by the same name, which has 69,000 subscribers.

72.ru notes that Nesgovorov’s pregnant wife and his grandmother, who is living with severe Alzheimer’s disease, remain free. The blogger was the sole provider for his family.