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The Preobrazhensky District Court of Moscow has sentenced 62-year-old amateur radio enthusiast Valentin Bushuev, who was accused of insulting the feelings of believers (Part 1, Article 148 of the Criminal Code) and inciting hatred (subparagraph “a,” Part 2, Article 282 of the Criminal Code), reports SOTAvision.
For insulting the feelings of believers, he was fined 150,000 rubles (approximately US$1,600). He was released from this punishment due to the statute of limitations expiring.
For the incitement of hatred charge, he was sentenced to three years in a general regime penal colony. Bushuev was taken into custody in the courtroom. The prosecutor had sought a five-year prison term.
According to the accusation, on 1 June 2023 Bushuev made statements insulting to Muslims during one of his radio broadcasts. Another person recorded his words and uploaded them to YouTube, and in September of the same year, the president of the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia handed the recording over to the FSB.
Moskovsky Komsomolets writes that the prosecution was triggered by a recording in which Bushuev, among other things, suggested planting a pig’s head for a Muslim.
Bushuev’s lawyer argued during the trial that none of the witnesses questioned had heard such statements in the broadcasts. He also maintained that the phrases attributed to the radio enthusiast on the audio recordings played in court had been pieced together, cut, and taken out of context.
62-year-old Bushuev is known in Moscow’s amateur radio community by several nicknames: “Operator Valentin,” “Radio Chernomor,” “Aunt Valya” and “Radiohooligan RV3ANU,” reported Mediazona. Many of his broadcasts are available on YouTube, where he discusses a variety of topics and swears heavily, often apparently under the influence of alcohol.
“He is known for having prevented the amateur radio airwaves from being used as intended for several years, dominating them with his drunken ramblings,” a fellow radio enthusiast and acquaintance of Bushuev told Mediazona.