A St Petersburg resident has been sent to a pre-trial detention centre for posting the comment: “Glory to the RVC.”

Artyom Abanin, a resident of St Petersburg, has been sent to a pre-trial detention centre for posting a comment with the words ‘Glory to the RVC’. This was reported by the city’s joint press service for the courts.

The decision was made by the Leninsky District Court. Abanin is being prosecuted under the article on calls to terrorism (part 2, Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to investigators, he wrote ‘Glory to the RVC’ in a Telegram chat and also “expressed a positive opinion” of the organisation in other comments.

In early June, the Kalininsky District Court of St Petersburg detained Vladislav Belkevich in a similar case. Law enforcement claim that he posted various comments in chats on Telegram channels, including those administered by RVC members. In these comments, according to investigators, the accused called for terrorism, extremism, violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, organising and participating in mass unrest, as well as engaging in activities directed against state security.