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A blogger from Leningrad region, Stepan Scoffy, was detained live on air after he took down a Russian flag with an image of Vladimir Putin from the wall and threw it during a livestream. This was reported by Mash na Moyke and Fontanka.
On 19 June, during a Twitch stream, the 28-year-old blogger unboxed a gift containing a Russian flag bearing the coat of arms and Putin’s face. Scoffy hung the flag on his wall, then received a donation of 1,000 roubles (about US$11) with a request to take it down. The streamer agreed and, saying “Fuck this flag,” took it off the wall and threw it.
Afterwards, one of his followers advised Scoffy to delete the stream and start a new one. Scoffy replied: “Who’s going to come? I really don’t care.” Later, he began apologising: “Guys, I apologise to everyone for my disrespectful behaviour towards the state flag of the Russian Federation. It was disrespectful of me …> I apologise to everyone who was offended by this.”
The next day, Scoffy started a new livestream from a sports ground. During the broadcast, a man in a balaclava ran up from behind and grabbed him by the neck, then another man appeared on camera. Mash na Moyke and Fontanka report that it was security forces who detained the streamer.
Ekaterina Mizulina, head of the “League for Safe Internet,” announced on her channel that the Investigative Committee had opened a criminal case against Scoffy for hooliganism (part 2, article 213 of the Criminal Code).
A friend of the streamer told OVD-Info that his loved ones have not been able to find him since his detention.
21 June It has become known where the blogger is being held—he has been taken to a temporary detention facility at the Internal Affairs Department for Vsevolozhsky District in Leningrad region (near St Petersburg). His friend told OVD-Info about his whereabouts. It is still unknown when the court hearing on his pre-trial restrictions will be held.