The St Petersburg activist will not face prosecution over posts criticising city officials.

The Oktyabrsky District Court in St Petersburg has closed the administrative case against Alexander Vinogradov, a former candidate for the city governor’s office. This was reported by the Telegram channel of the unified press service for St Petersburg’s courts.

Previously, Vinogradov had been charged under the article on petty hooliganism (part 3, article 20.1 of the Administrative Offences Code) due to posts on VKontakte. The outlet “Bumaga” clarifies that the persecution was triggered by six publications in which the activist criticised Governor Alexander Beglov and other officials for failing to remove rubbish, for disrespect towards survivors of the siege, for ignoring the problems of illegal street trading and other issues. Experts who examined the posts claimed they contained “insults to human dignity and public morality, and clear disrespect for bodies exercising state authority.” However, the court disagreed and found no offence had been committed.