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The Shuya City Court in Ivanovo Region has awarded blogger Sergei Veselov compensation for moral damages following criminal prosecution under the article on “discrediting the army” (Part 1, Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code). His lawyer, Oskar Cherdjiyev, reported this in his social media stories.
Veselov was awarded compensation of 15,000 roubles (about US$160), although he had requested one million roubles (about US$10,700). The prosecutor stated that a sum of 50,000 roubles (about US$540) would have been reasonable.
In June 2024, Veselov was acquitted in one of his cases over discrediting the army. An expert examination found no evidence of a crime in the video where he discussed the war in Ukraine and its consequences for Russia. In four other episodes under the same article, the blogger was fined 350,000 roubles (about US$3,750).
Earlier, in May, Veselov was sentenced to two years and one month in a penal settlement colony over a video titled “Don’t confuse Germans with Hitlerites, or Russians with Putinists.” He was also charged under the article on discrediting the army at that time. The court passed this sentence taking into account a previously unserved punishment for insulting a judge (Part 2, Article 297 of the Criminal Code).
In February 2025, Veselov was sentenced to seven years in a general-regime colony on charges of inciting terrorism (Part 2, Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) and confidential cooperation with a foreign country. Taking all sentences together, the blogger was ordered to serve a total of eight years in prison.
The charge of inciting terrorism was brought against the blogger for reposting on his Telegram channel a publication from the “Rospartisan” channel calling for people to join the Freedom of Russia Legion and Russian Volunteer Corps. The charge of confidential cooperation was related to correspondence that Veselov allegedly conducted on Telegram with employees of Ukrainian intelligence.
Since January 2024, Veselov has been held in pre-trial detention in Ivanovo. There, he has been constantly subjected to pressure. In April, a cellmate beat him and poured boiling water over him. Later, after a conflict with another cellmate, he was placed in a punishment cell.
In May 2025, it became known that Veselov had been held in a punishment cell for more than two months. He was released from there only on 30 June following a campaign in his support.