News

Police have filed a report against the Chukotka-based environmental activist Igor Ranav over a post about the death of Alexei Navalny. This was reported by ‘Sibir.Realii’ with reference to Ranav’s friends. Ranav confirmed that on 10 March, police officers called him and summoned him to the station to provide “an explanation.”

Journalists clarify that this is an “extremism” report. Apparently, the case concerns the article on displaying extremist symbols (Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code).

Ranav made the post on his social media a year ago. In it, he reflected that Navalny’s murder should reassure the “loyal Putin supporters” for whom 16 February 2024 became a “quiet day of victory.” The activist also stated that the politician’s death is evidence that “Putin will go all the way.”

“Where are we heading? If dissent is forbidden here. Don’t speak, don’t look, and probably soon, don’t even breathe without permission. Horrific!” wrote Ranav.

Ranav has opposed the expansion of mining companies in Chukotka, a remote region in Russia’s Far East. In his opinion, they are destroying territories where Indigenous peoples hunt and herd reindeer.

The activist also tried to draw the authorities’ attention to shortages of food and medicines in the region, as well as the lack of adequate medical care.

The magistrate of judicial district No. 1 in the Khaibullinsky district (Bashkortostan) fined Buranbai Askarov under a protocol for spreading deliberately false information of public significance (part 9, article 13.15 of the Administrative Offences Code). This was reported by “Aspekty.”

The protocol was issued because, according to law enforcement, the man published false information about mobilisation in Russia.

In a conversation with “Aspekty,” Askarov linked his prosecution to his support for those involved in the “Baymak case.”

Previously, Askarov headed the local branch of the “Bashkort” movement, which is banned in Russia.

Roskomnadzor has blocked the website of the publication “Slovo Zashchite,” reports the publication itself. The agency’s website states that access to the site is restricted.

The project “Roskomsvoboda,” which monitors blockings, indicates that the site has been blocked since 21 February. It is unclear which government agency requested the site’s blocking.

“Slovo Zashchite” describes itself as a media outlet about human rights in Russia and those who defend them.

Unknown individuals set fire to the door of the Moscow apartment belonging to rapper Noize MC (Ivan Alekseev). This was reported today by the pro-Kremlin outlet Izvestia.

The “Pianist Gang” has claimed responsibility for the arson. The perpetrators left a message on the wall next to the apartment door: “Greetings to the enemy and traitor Vanya Noize MC from Pianist.”

The anonymous person who set the door alight stated that it was their way of expressing dissatisfaction with the rapper’s performance in a T-shirt bearing the word “Azov.” “Pianist” claims this refers to the emblem of a battalion that has been designated as terrorist by the Russian authorities.

According to the media, the apartment is owned by the rapper’s “girlfriend.” At the same time, open sources indicate that Noize MC has been married for over 15 years. After the fire, a man who identified himself as the property owner contacted the police. “Izvestia” noted that this man “did not resemble Noize MC.”

After the war in Ukraine began, the rapper spoke out harshly against it and left the country. He also holds anti-war concerts. At one such event in 2024 in Spain, the musician appeared wearing a T-shirt with a photo of a train carriage and the word “Azov.”

The “Pianist Gang” also set fire to the door of the apartment belonging to Leva Bi-2 (real name: Egor Bortnik), lead singer of the band Bi-2. This occurred on 26 February. Unknown persons left a message at the door: “Greetings to the enemy and traitor Leva.” Like Ivan Alekseev, the musician spoke out against the war with Ukraine and left Russia.

A protocol was drawn up against Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko, bishop of the Apostolic Orthodox Church and human rights defender, for “discrediting the army” (part 1, article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The case, which was filed in the Nevsky District Court in St Petersburg, was noticed by Mediazona.

The grounds for the protocol are unknown. The priest learned about the case from a Mediazona reporter.

After Russia launched its invasion, Mikhnov-Vaitenko began assisting Ukrainian refugees.

Just a day after the death of Alexei Navalny, on 17 February 2024, the priest was detained after announcing plans to hold a memorial service for the politician at the Solovetsky Stone in St Petersburg. While at the police station, he had a stroke and was then hospitalised.

At that time, the authorities drew up a protocol against Mikhnov-Vaitenko for “publicly calling for mass simultaneous gatherings of citizens in public places” (part 1, article 20.2.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences). In July, the case was dropped due to time limits expiring. That same month, the Ministry of Justice included the priest in the “foreign agents” register over his criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A release states that on 5 March, police monitored VKontakte and found “a video in which an unidentified woman in underwear is dancing at a memorial site in Murom.” The Investigative Committee reported that they were beginning an inquiry into possible desecration of symbols of military glory.

On 4 March, Belova had indeed posted a video of herself dancing in a bra and shorts next to the memorial on Victory Square. “No money. Only heels and popcorn,” she wrote in the post.

In October 2023, the dancer had already been fined 30,000 roubles (about US$330) for a similar video.

In February 2024, the Khabarovsk Regional Court declared the “I/WE Sergei Furgal movement” an extremist organisation and banned its activities. Prosecutors, who brought the case, argued that the movement, “under the guise of defending and supporting the former governor,” called for banned activities and used “various political techniques,” including organising unsanctioned rallies.

The Shuya City Court has fined janitor Ivan Ivlev 30,000 rubles (about US$330) for painting benches and flowerbeds in yellow and blue. This was reported by IvanovoNews, who drew attention to the court’s decision.

Judge Ruslan Beshtoiev found Ivlev guilty of “discrediting the Russian army” (part 1, article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code).

The court’s decision states that Ivlev painted a flowerbed, benches, table, kerbs, canopies and vertical supports in the courtyard of a block of flats “in blue and yellow colours, which are used in the official symbol of Ukraine—the national flag of Ukraine.” According to the judge, in doing so he was “undermining the trust of an undetermined group of people regarding the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the special operation.”

The judge noted that “Ivlev’s actions caused a significant public response,” because photos of the courtyard were posted on social media.

The case materials included a post from the ‘Overheard in Shuya’ community about the courtyard: “!!! Painted yard!!! There’s a patriot who painted the playground and the whole yard in the colours of the Ukrainian Armed Forces flag. Some people have relatives or friends in the special military operation, and here’s this.”

Ivlev himself did not admit guilt and said he chose the colours “for their brightness,” and that he did not know what the Ukrainian flag looked like.

“He explained that he looks after the yard to keep it clean and nice, applying paint over the old coating, which had also been painted in yellow and blue. The day after the administrative offence protocol was drawn up, he completely repainted four benches yellow; he had not yet had time to repaint the other structures in the yard,” the court decision says.

Later, Ivlev clarified that the benches, flowerbeds and other objects in the yard had been painted in yellow and blue since 2017.

Judge Beshtoiev delivered his ruling in July 2024. A month later, the Ivanovo Regional Court overturned it, finding that Ivlev’s actions did not constitute an offence.

The regional court concluded that in order to convict the janitor, intent to discredit the army needed to be proven. Judge Beshtoiev, in his decision, asserted that intent was not required.

German, the Metropolitan of Kursk, has defrocked Father Vladimir Boyarsky, a priest from a border village in Kursk region. The reason was his public criticism of the authorities for the lack of humanitarian aid for local people. The publication “7×7” drew attention to the case.

The group of Archangel Michael Church, where Boyarsky was the rector, stated that on 28 February, Metropolitan German of Kursk and Rylsk signed a decree to defrock him. The document itself is not published on the Kursk diocese website.

A court case against Father Vladimir was initiated following a complaint by Vladimir Zaitsev, the head of Bolshesoldatsky district and a member of the United Russia party. According to locals, he was the official Boyarsky had criticised.

Parishioners said the priest was defrocked because of “provocative films [featuring him] in the media about delivering humanitarian aid to people living in the border area, which compromised certain officials.”

“He [Father Vladimir] was accused of impertinence, reproached for supposedly writing and saying things without the blessing of His Eminence [Metropolitan German]; of slander <…>, of allegedly lying about being beaten,” the parishioners wrote.

In August 2024, locals reported that Boyarsky had been detained and beaten up by police. He was interrogated in a basement on suspicion of collaborating with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Father Vladimir Boyarsky delivered humanitarian aid to residents of Kursk region and held services in border villages. He also blessed Russian military vehicles and supplied them with food.

In the first case, a report was drawn up against Vladimir Akoev, a resident of Vladikavkaz, for a comment he posted in a local online group. According to the court’s ruling, he wrote (as in the original document):

“Only one thing on your minds—rising through the ranks, nothing human left in you, lives mean nothing to you, only the suffering and pain, wanting to imprison and torment people. I wish death on all of you, you bast*rds, all the cops who have rotted in this lousy system, you’re like zombies now, be human. And for those who won’t, I wish you and your kin death and all the worst, so that you and your families feel the pain of ordinary people who aren’t in your f*cking system.”

The document does not specify under which post this comment was left.

The second report was made against Alina Torchynova. The ruling states that she left an audio message under a post in a Telegram channel with the following content:

“The traffic police—they’re the main ones, the main players in all of this, they make money off it, what are we even talking about? Yeah, I understand, maybe you, my companions, don’t quite realise, and now they’ll get onto me and take me to court for, umm… I did, well, kind of… insult them a bit. Well, to put it politely—listen, you bastards, what are you doing there, what are you up to? What are you getting—what are you getting paid for? Eh? I really do discriminate against you, you shameless ones. What are you—what are you doing there? Eh?”

As evidence of incitement to hatred, in both cases, police provided an expert statement from the forensic centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in North Ossetia—which concluded that the statements expressed negative opinions about police officers.

Both Akoev and Torchynova pleaded guilty. They were each fined 10,000 rubles (about US$110).

In Orsk, a city in the Urals, the performance by participants of the KVN comedy team “Uezdny Gorod” was cancelled following criticism from the mayor over their video statement condemning the war in Ukraine. This was reported by “Podjom.”

On 26 February, Orsk mayor Artem Vorobyev wrote on his Telegram channel that comedians Yevgeny Nikishin and Sergei Pisarenko “have been spreading false information about the special military operation.” According to the city head, he had received messages asking how appropriate it was for them to perform in Orsk.

He wrote: “My personal opinion is—absolutely inappropriate!” and asked his followers to share their own views. He also conducted a poll on his channel, with most participants voting against the comedians' performance.

Nikishin and Pisarenko were due to perform at the Sultan restaurant on 8 March. Today, the venue told “Podjom” that the event had been cancelled: “'Uezdny Gorod' has been cancelled due to the situation that has arisen. You’ve probably heard? Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel.”

According to Pisarenko, the event organisers told the comedians they were unable to gather enough spectators. “The restaurant holds 150 seats, they tried to fill them, but set the ticket price too high and only 30 tickets sold. I haven’t checked further details yet,” he said.

Asked whether the event was possibly cancelled “for ideological reasons,” the comedian said: “This seems to be some misunderstanding or provocation.”

“Yesterday after the show we donated money as a troupe to the 7th Battalion for the special military operation. A statement [in support of the military from this battalion] was recorded <…> Yesterday we received messages from the battalion, saying they want to award us for helping out. There are all sorts of mayors,” he added.

In 2022, in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a video statement by Nikishin and Pisarenko surfaced while they were in Ukraine. In the video, Pisarenko called for an end to the war and said that civilian deaths were being caused by Russian army actions.

Later, he began to claim that the statement had been recorded under pressure from Ukrainian security forces after being detained at the border. “You can see for yourself we are in a police station, there’s a height chart behind us, and Zhenya is standing in a semi-faint state. It’s a great shame the video appeared at all, but we had to get into Russia, and this was the only way! We are Russians and we love our motherland!” Pisarenko said.

Sergei Dyachuk, a resident of Kyzyl (the capital of Tuva in southern Siberia), was fined 2,000 roubles (approximately US$22) over a meme featuring cartoon characters and a photo of a German fork from 1940. The decision of the Kyzyl City Court on 13 February was highlighted by the SOVA research centre in their report.

Dyachuk was found guilty of publicly displaying Nazi symbols (part 1, article 20.3 of Russia’s Administrative Code) because of two images on their VKontakte profile. According to the court, they had posted a meme on their VKontakte page showing cartoon characters standing by a wardrobe containing a Nazi uniform.

The SOVA Centre suggested the image was most likely of characters from the cartoon “Prostokvashino.” In it, postman Pechkin shows Uncle Fyodor and Matroskin a Nazi uniform in a wardrobe, saying: I used to be angry, you know why?.. The meme mocks the resemblance between the Russian Post employees' uniforms and those of Wehrmacht soldiers.

The second image that served as grounds for the case shows a fork made in 1940 with the coat of arms of Nazi Germany. In court, Sergei Dyachuk said they had posted both images “for humorous purposes, not as propaganda.”

In Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, the editor-in-chief of the publication “Vecherniye Vedomosti,” Vladislav Postnikov, has been detained. He reported this on his personal Telegram channel.

The journalist is being taken to Police Station No. 1 in Yekaterinburg. Police officers told Postnikov that they are planning to draw up a protocol against him under the article on displaying banned symbols (Part 1, Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code). It is not known exactly what he is being accused of.

The punishment under this article can entail up to 15 days of administrative detention. According to information from the Telegram channel “Ostorozhno, novosti,” Postnikov was scheduled to speak this evening at an event called “An Evening of Ural Identity.”

In 2022 and 2023, “Vecherniye Vedomosti” and its staff were repeatedly fined under the article on “discrediting” the Russian army (20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) over publications about the war and anti-war protests.

17:05 “Vecherniye Vedomosti” writes that Postnikov has now been officially detained pending trial. He is expected to be taken to the Kirovsky District Court of Yekaterinburg tomorrow. The journalist’s lawyer said that he is accused of displaying the symbols of a certain banned organisation, but it is not yet clear which one.

17:40 The protocol against Postnikov was drawn up because of a four-year-old post featuring the logo of the “Navalny Headquarters,” reports local outlet It’s My City.

In his post at the time, the journalist drew attention to the fact that the authorities had released “fake” video recordings, in which Leonid Volkov and Aleksei Navalny allegedly urged people not to go to the elections.

“The publication contains photos demonstrating the symbols (logo) of an extremist organisation—the public movement ‘Navalny Headquarters,’ the activities of which are banned by a decision of the Moscow City Court from 09.06.2021, specifically an image of the movement’s logo (emblem) in the form of a red exclamation mark on a white background, the public display of which is prohibited,” reads the police report.

1 March The Kirovsky District Court of Yekaterinburg has sentenced Vladislav Postnikov to 14 days’ arrest, reports “Vecherniye Vedomosti.”

The Tobolsk City Court fined local resident Iosif Manin 30,000 roubles (approximately US$330) for condemning the war in comments on VKontakte. This information was published on the court’s website.

The man was found guilty under the administrative article on “discrediting the Russian army” (Art. 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). According to the ruling, he posted a message about the war and the state in a certain community on the social network.

“That’s the Ministry of Defence’s job, our rotten government, which started this war—they’ve got yachts and apartments in Dubai, while we’re supposed to help our soldiers, the occupiers of foreign lands and territories. I understand everything, Alexei, you’re a patriot and all that, but this whole war is bad and wrong. Now all sorts of Half-Mad Azizovs and generally not very bright people will start commenting about how terrible I am, but in fact, this whole thing with war, the killing of civilians, the destruction of peaceful cities and so on and so forth, it’s complete rubbish…,” the court quotes the man’s comment as saying.

Manin admitted his guilt. The court handed down the minimum possible penalty under this article.

The Kurchatov City Court in Kursk Oblast has fined local resident Lyudmila Leonova 30,000 roubles (approx. US$325) under the article on ‘discrediting the army’ (Part 1, Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). This was announced by the regional courts' press service.

The basis for the charges was a comment Leonova posted in the ‘Overheard in Kurchatov’ group on VKontakte, a Russian social network. The press service did not reveal what her comment said. As Leonova herself told Mediazona, she wrote that “young guys are being buried in the ground where they shouldn’t be.”

“I basically knew that comments are being monitored [by law enforcement]. I feel hurt for my country, I wanted to draw attention to problems—ultimately, they told me to ‘shut my mouth’ and hand over 30,000 [roubles] to the state. And I have a child who has been disabled since childhood, and my salary is 28,000. All I can do is smile—this is Russia,” Leonova told journalists.

She added that her second child is a service member currently under contract in Ukraine.

The Kalininsky District Court of Novosibirsk—a major city in Siberia—has fined human rights activist Anna Tazheeva 5,000 roubles (US$55) for supporting a migrant family following attacks from the “Russian Community” group. This was reported by Mediazona, citing a source who was present at the hearing.

Tazheeva was found guilty under the article on participation in the activities of an “undesirable organisation” (Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

The reason for the protocol was a post by the activist on VKontakte, in which she shared a link to a video from the YouTube channel “League of Free Nations,” which has been declared an “undesirable organisation” by the authorities.

The video described how residents of the settlement of Svetly in Novosibirsk Oblast stood up for a family who had moved there from Kyrgyzstan and were targeted by the far-right “Russian Community” group. The migrant family’s child faced bullying at school. His father made one of the bullies apologise to his son. After this, the mother of the alleged bully contacted the “Russian Community,” and criminal cases were brought against the parents of the bullied child. The story was covered in detail by the BBC Russian Service.

Tazheeva was among those who supported the family from Kyrgyzstan. After this, she too was targeted by the “Russian Community” through the group’s Telegram channel. Mediazona notes that the administrative protocol against Tazheeva was compiled after complaints from five individuals. A source familiar with the case suggests that the authors of the complaints may be connected to the “Russian Community.”

In January, Natalia Shishkina, a deputy of the Prokudsky Village Council in the Kochenevsky District of Novosibirsk Oblast, was fined under a similar protocol because of the same video. She also defended the family and was likewise criticised by the “Russian Community.”

The Severodvinsk City Court (Arkhangelsk region, northwestern Russia) has fined Shiyes defender and former city councillor Sergey Ilyukhin 30,000 roubles (approx. US$330) under the article for failing to report himself as a ‘foreign agent’ (Part 1, Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code). This was reported by “7×7”; a press release is available on the court’s website.

The court’s press release stated: “According to open sources, the offender is one of the leaders of the public organisation ‘Clean North 29,’ and was a deputy in the VII convocation of the Severodvinsk Council of Deputies. From December 2020 to June 2021, public mass events were held in Severodvinsk with his participation, in violation of the current legislation of the Russian Federation.”

The protocol on the politician was drawn up in early February. Ilyukhin commented: “It turns out that before I was included in the foreign agent register, I should have realised I was under foreign influence, reported it to the Ministry of Justice, and obtained the status. And at the same time, I was supposed to stop both my deputy and any other political activity, as well as publishing my opinions about decisions taken by the authorities and the policies they pursue. Well then!.”

Sergey Ilyukhin was added to the “foreign agent” register on 18 October 2024. The Ministry of Justice explained this by saying the deputy had “spread false information” about the policies of the Russian authorities and, “as a correspondent,” appeared on the platforms of “foreign agents” (this was most likely referring to his blog on the 7×7 website, which was itself earlier listed as a foreign agent). On 25 October, owing to this status, the Severodvinsk Council of Deputies revoked Ilyukhin’s mandate.

Sergey Sosov, who was convicted in the case involving a collage with Hitler, has been fined two thousand roubles (approximately US$22) for displaying LGBTQ symbols. This was reported by the law enforcement-linked Telegram channel “Tula. EkstremiZm”; the case details can be found on the court’s website.

Sosov was found guilty under the article on the display of prohibited symbols (Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Administrative Offences Code). The case was heard by the Plavsky Interdistrict Court in Tula region, south of Moscow, on 20 December.

The reason for the fine was certain images posted on VKontakte.

In December 2023, Sosov was sentenced to three years of compulsory labour, having been found guilty of insulting the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland online. Then, in December 2024, the man was detained for evading his punishment in the form of compulsory labour, as he had failed to arrive at the correctional centre. According to the “Tula. EkstremiZm” publication, after this, the remainder of Sergey Sosov’s sentence was converted to imprisonment. He is now being held in Penal Colony No. 5 in Tula region.

The Petrogradsky District Court in St Petersburg has fined local resident Georgiy Mirishkin 40,000 roubles (approximately US$440) for laying flowers at the Taras Shevchenko monument. This was reported by the city’s court press service.

The man was found guilty under the article on “discrediting” the Russian army (Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code). The reason for the protocol was that on 24 February, he brought flowers tied with blue and yellow ribbons to the monument to the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko.

The court stated that by doing so, Mirishkin “committed public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the DPR and LPR.” According to OVD-Info, the young man was detained the same day and taken to one of the police stations.

In Moscow, the door of the apartment belonging to the lead singer of the band Bi-2, Yegor Bortnik (Leva Bi-2), was set on fire, reports Baza, which drew attention to a video posted in a private Telegram channel. SHOT writes that the arson was carried out by activists from the “Auction of Fingers” movement.

On the wall next to the apartment, someone wrote: “Greetings to the enemy and traitor Leva from the Pianist.”

The video of the arson was published with the comment that it was a “gift for 23 February.” It also claimed that Bortnik, “who earned his entire living in Russia, but when the war started, fled and began financing the Ukrainian Armed Forces, put his entire band’s business at risk.”

Recently, pro-Kremlin pranksters Lexus and Vovan published a recording of a conversation with Bortnik, in which he allegedly said he transferred money to the Ukrainian army. After this, according to Baza, a major news Telegram channel posted a video with the full address of his apartment. It may refer to a post by Mash, which showed the building’s address and entrance.

At the same time, Shot reports that the Moscow apartment is currently registered in the name of the musician’s former wife.

There has not yet been any official confirmation of the arson of the apartment door belonging to Bortnik or formerly belonging to him. He himself has also not commented yet on the reports of the arson.

The musician has openly spoken out against the war in Ukraine and does not currently live in Russia.

Khalikov was detained on 23 February. The court was supposed to consider his case yesterday, 25 February, but the hearing was postponed in order to summon the police officer who detained Khalikov and threw the flowers off the monument.

The Kirovsky District Court in Ufa fined the publisher of the media outlet “Prufy,” Raufa Rakhimova, 30,000 roubles (about US$330) for “disrespect towards authorities” (part 3 of Article 20.1 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences). The media outlet’s Telegram channel reported this.

The reason was a video from 2020 in which Rakhimova, an elderly woman, defended activists protecting the Kushtau hill (a small mountain in Ishimbaysky District, Bashkortostan, where local activists opposed deforestation for soda and limestone mining for several months, until September 2020, when the Bashkortostan government declared Kushtau a regional natural monument, which stopped the work) and criticised former adviser to the head of Bashkortostan, Rostislav Murzagulov. An administrative charge was filed against the media manager in December 2024.

According to the defence, the proceedings should already have been terminated due to the expiry of the statute of limitations. They also noted that Rakhimova had not posted the video in question.

Murzagulov, whom Rakhimova criticised, left Russia after the start of the war. On his YouTube channel “Rostislav Murzagulov,” formerly linked with Mikhail Khodorkovsky and previously called “Open Media,” he posts political videos. In December 2022, Murzagulov was added to the “foreign agents” register after he requested it himself, and in September 2024, he was declared wanted. He faces criminal cases for failing to fulfil the obligations of a “foreign agent” (Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code) and for spreading “military fakes” motivated by political hatred (paragraph “d” of part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code).

Galina Savvateyeva, a Moscow resident, was detained for laying flowers at the Lesya Ukrainka monument. She is being taken to the Dorogomilovo police station. This was reported by SOTAvision.

The woman was wearing a T-shirt with the inscription: “24.02.2022 February lasting for years.” After she laid the flowers, police officers caught up with Savvateyeva, asked her for identification and photographed her T-shirt. After a while, she was put in a police van and taken to the station.

21:30 An OVD-Info lawyer, Natalia Tikhonova, is on her way to assist Savvateyeva.

21:36 Savvateyeva has been delivered to Dorogomilovo police station.

22:30 Savvateyeva has been released from the police station with a formal warning, according to her lawyer from OVD-Info, Natalia Tikhonova.

In Novosibirsk, a major city in Siberia, a protocol was filed against human rights defender Anna Tazheyeva for participating in the activities of an ‘undesirable’ organisation (Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code). This was reported by Mediazona, citing a decision from the prosecutor’s office dated 12 February.

The document states that five people contacted the agency in February, accusing Anna Tazheyeva of “distributing the information resource of an organisation declared undesirable.” According to officials, in December 2024, the activist published a post on VKontakte featuring a video from the YouTube channel “Free Nations League.” The organisation was declared ‘undesirable’ in February 2023.

The video attributed to Tazheyeva tells the story of an interethnic conflict between residents of the settlement of Svetly and a family from Kyrgyzstan. Natalia Shishkina, a member of the Prokudsky Village Council in Kochenyovsky District, stood up for the latter. As Shishkina herself reported, she began to face harassment from members of the “Russian Community” movement after this. The same was reported in the Free Nations League’s video.

The protocol against Anna Tazheyeva was filed with the Kalininsky District Court on 13 February. A Mediazona source familiar with the activist’s case suggested that the people who reported her to the prosecutor are linked to the “Russian Community.”

At the end of January, the movement reported that a protocol for involvement with an ‘undesirable’ organisation was also drawn up against Natalia Shishkina herself.

“And her close friend Tazheyeva <…> continues to repost content from foreign agent resources on her own channel, including some that slander the Russian Community. The Russian Community is systematically and successfully achieving results in holding Shishkina and the ‘human rights defender’ Tazheyeva accountable,” read the post.

On 30 January, Shishkina was fined five thousand roubles (US$55) for involvement with an ‘undesirable’ organisation under the protocol. The grounds for the case were the same Free Nations League video. Posts with the video have now been deleted from both Tazheyeva’s page and Shishkina’s Telegram channel.

A protocol has been drawn up against comedian Denis Chuzhoy for not reporting himself as a “foreign agent” (part 1, article 19.34 of the Administrative Code). The case record has been published on the website of the Zheleznogorsk City Court in Kursk region (a city in western Russia).

The hearing in the comedian’s case is scheduled for 19 February.

Denis Chuzhoy (Denis Alesin) was declared a “foreign agent” in November 2024. According to the Ministry of Justice, Chuzhoy participated in the creation and distribution of materials by other “foreign agents” as well as “undesirable organisations,” spoke out against the war, and spread false information about Russian State bodies and their decisions.

The Meshchansky District Court in Moscow has fined the agency UniPage, which assists with admission to international educational institutions, 50,000 rubles (about US$550) under a protocol for participation in the activities of an “undesirable organisation” (Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Mediazona reports this.

The case was brought to court on 18 December. The reason for drawing up the protocol was the appearance of US Bard College and Central European University—both designated “undesirable” in Russia—in the agency’s university database on its website.

The UniPage platform has existed since 2012. According to information on the agency’s website, over 4,000 clients have been admitted to international universities. Mediazona notes that UniPage also offers help obtaining grants from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the American Fulbright Programme and grants from other countries.

In Russia, a number of foreign organisations involved in educational programmes have been designated “undesirable.” For example, in March, US organisations Cultural Perspectives, Institute of International Education and American Councils for International Education were declared “undesirable.”

The Tagansky District Court in Moscow fined the VPN provider Hidemy.nerwork LTD 400,000 roubles (approx. US$4,400) under the article on producing and distributing “foreign agent” materials without the required labelling (Part 4, Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code), reports the court’s press service.

The provider, registered in Belize, was added to the “foreign agent” registry in November 2023.

The Chistopol City Court in Tatarstan has fined local resident Maria Elendeeva 1,000 roubles (approx. US$11) under the article on the display of Nazi symbols (Part 1, Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). This was reported by the SOVA Research Centre.

A report was drawn up against the woman because of two images posted on VKontakte. The first depicted Vladimir Putin standing at a podium with the Third Reich’s coat of arms and swastika, accompanied by the text: “Russians are guilty before humanity for failing to resist Putin, just as the German people were guilty for failing to resist Hitler.” The second image featured the text: “Our strength and power are in truth, conscience, and light. The sun is only on our side! Remember this, Rusich!” alongside an image of a kolovrat, which the court identified as a swastika.

The Dzerzhinsky District Court in St Petersburg has sentenced a local resident to 10 days’ administrative arrest after they were detained at the monument to victims of political repression on the anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death. This was reported by the newspaper Bumaga.

The individual was found guilty under the article on displaying prohibited symbols (Part 1, Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). They were detained on 16 February when they came to the monument with flowers and a picture of Navalny.

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a major city on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, a concert by the metal band Autopsy Night was cancelled following a complaint by activists from the ‘Russian Community,’ reports ‘7×7.’

“Today’s Autopsy Night concert has been cancelled due to heavy pressure from certain authorities on the concert venue, as well as information we have received that a group of individuals were preparing provocations against our band and the guests of today’s event,” the band posted on VKontakte.

The ‘Russian Community’ claimed they “achieved a ban on the concert of the satanic thrash band” after collecting 300 signatures “with a request to check the ‘work’ of these clearly unhealthy ‘musicians.’”

On 6 February, the Novgorod District Court in Novgorod Region fined local resident Elena Oloer 10,000 roubles (approx. US$110) under the administrative article on incitement of hatred or enmity (Article 20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The Research Centre “Sova” drew attention to the court’s decision in their report.

The specific statements that led to the administrative case against the woman are unknown. The court ruling says that, in comments under a post on VKontakte, Oloer joined a discussion about Ukrainians and Russians.

For example, in the screenshot described by the court, there is “a statement that it’s not Ukrainians who are drug addicts, but Russians who rape children and are drug addicts,” and that “the author is ashamed to be Russian.”

At the same time, the court noted that the prosecutor’s office incorrectly assessed Oloer’s statements, alleging she incited hatred towards a group of people based on their political interests and profession—“supporters of Russia,” “Russian military personnel.”

“Political interests and people engaged in specific professions may be considered as belonging to social groups; however, these circumstances were not mentioned when describing the administrative offence,” the judge stated.

The same court fined Andrei Timonin 20,000 roubles (US$220) under a similar article. Timonin, Khamidullin and Azat Shaekhov were detained on 16 February while laying flowers in memory of Alexei Navalny. Shaekhov was arrested for 10 days on 18 February.

Ramirez was detained on 16 February after she held a solo picket with a portrait of Navalny and a sign reading: “We will not forget, we will not forgive. Lesha, we miss you.” While already in the police van, she began to have difficulties breathing, telling OVD-Info she was close to losing consciousness. An ambulance was called for her.

After the arrest, she was taken to police station No. 28, where an administrative offence report was drawn up against her. Ramirez was kept at the station overnight ahead of the court hearing. The following day, she was taken to court, but the administrative case was returned to the police due to violations. Because of this, Ramirez was taken back to the police station for another night.

On 18 February, after the court hearing, Kristina Johnson Ramirez told OVD-Info that she was feeling unwell because she had not been given food or water at the police station. In addition, female officers at the station forced Ramirez to strip down to her underwear. According to Ramirez, they tried to make her undress completely and squat several times, threatening that otherwise men would carry out the search.

The decision to fine Marshenkulova was issued by the Tagansky District Court of Moscow. The court’s website record does not mention which materials led to the administrative case.

The Justice Ministry designated Marshenkulova a ‘foreign agent’ in September 2024. Six months earlier, a criminal case for “justifying terrorism” (Part 2, Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) was opened against her over a publication about the killing of pro-government military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. In connection with this case, law enforcement officers searched Marshenkulova’s home.

In mid-April 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs put the feminist activist on the federal wanted list. A month later, the court ordered her arrest in absentia.

Former Russian Orthodox Church proto-deacon Andrey Kurayev has been fined 45,000 rubles (approximately US$500) for a post without the “foreign agent” label (part 4, article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences) on his fake social media page. The press service of the Moscow courts of general jurisdiction reported this today.

According to Moscow’s Tagansky district court, on 19 August 2024 the clergy member published material without the “foreign agent” notice on a VKontakte page. Kurayev’s lawyer tried to prove that their client does not have access to this account. At the request of the former proto-deacon, the page was blocked by VKontakte moderators, notes SOTA.

The defence asked the court to postpone hearings in the case and send a repeat inquiry to the Ministry of Justice regarding who owns the blocked account. The court refused this request and found Kurayev guilty of violating the “foreign agent” law.

In 2020, the theologian and former proto-deacon Andrey Kurayev was prohibited from serving in the Church over insulting the late priest Alexander Ageykin, who had died from Covid, in his personal blog. In April 2023, Kurayev was stripped of his clerical rank, and at the end of the same year was declared a “foreign agent.”

After the hearing, Shayekhov said the judge had rejected all his petitions, including the motion to have the judge recused. He intends to appeal the arrest. He also reported that he has been charged with “discrediting the army” (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) over a post on VKontakte, in which he allegedly “spoke unfavourably about the so-called heroes of the special military operation.” A local politician, Dmitry Rumyantsev, posted a video of Shayekhov’s comments after the hearing.

Earlier, the man said he was detained while filming the detentions of others who had come to pay tribute to Navalny.

14:49 The same court fined Shayekhov 45,000 roubles (approx. US$500) for “discrediting the army,” his lawyer told OVD-Info.

A teacher at a gymnasium in St Petersburg has been fined 30,000 rubles (US$325) for laying a paper heart on the day Alexei Navalny was killed. This was reported by Fontanka.

The woman brought the heart to the monument to Taras Shevchenko. She was detained afterwards. As clarified by MR7, she was fined under the article on “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces” (Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Offences Code).

On 16 February, officers also detained a 75-year-old elderly woman at the Solovetsky Stone memorial. News sources differ on the reason for her detention: MR7 claims the woman tried to leave a portrait photograph at the memorial, while Fontanka reports that she joined a solo protest with a placard. It was not reported whose photo the woman intended to display.

A report was filed against the elderly woman for displaying “extremist” symbols (Article 20.3) and violating the rules for holding a solo protest (Article 20.2). The court sentenced her to a day of administrative arrest but immediately released her, as she had already spent this time in a detention centre prior to the hearing.

19 February The report for displaying prohibited symbols was indeed drawn up because of a placard bearing a photograph of Alexei Navalny and his quote: “I am not afraid, and neither should you be.” This was reported by 78.ru and noted by the Sova research centre.

An elderly woman from Pechora, a town in the Komi Republic, was fined 55,000 roubles (around US$600) for comments against the war, in which she called for people to “go out into the streets” and “organise protests.” OVD-Info discovered the ruling, issued by Pechora City Court on 12 February, here.

The court found the woman guilty of “discrediting the Russian army with calls for mass actions” (part 2, article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). According to the court, from April 2022 to 14 January this year she posted comments under the nickname “KNV” in VKontakte groups “Pro gorod Syktyvkar/News,” “Saint Petersburg Life” and “Typical Pechora.” In these comments, she expressed opposition to the war and called for protests “demanding the resignation of the leadership of the Russian Federation,” and for “organising rallies with the demand to withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine.”

In court, the woman admitted her guilt and expressed remorse, asking not to be given a harsh punishment due to her small pension. She also explained that she had deleted the comments.

The court fined the woman, stating that in her comments the elderly activist “justified the legitimacy of actions by the authorities of Ukraine” and “spoke negatively about the president of the Russian Federation.”

The Tagansky District Court in Moscow has fined the online writers’ platform Wattpad 3.5 million roubles (approximately US$39,000) for failing to remove prohibited information (Part 2, Article 13.41 of the Code of Administrative Offences). This was reported by the press service of Moscow courts and noted by Mediazona.

The protocol was prompted by the publication of “works about same-sex sexual relationships,” according to a report from the outlet ‘Govorit i Pokazyvaet Moskva’ (Moscow Speaks and Shows).

Representatives of Wattpad accepted responsibility. They added that service moderators remove content “prohibited by Russian law,” but cannot always do so promptly because “the platform operates globally and has more than 90 million users.”

Wattpad is an online service where anyone can publish their book.

After asking about joining the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a 31-year-old technician from Moscow, Alexander Sh., was charged with inciting hatred (Article 20.3.1 of the Administrative Offences Code). This was reported by the channel “Ostorozhno, novosti” (“Caution, news”).

In August 2023, Alexander, who lives in Moscow, sent messages to the chat of the Ukrainian state project “I Want to Live,” which helps military personnel from Russia and Belarus safely surrender. Alexander Sh. asked whether it was possible to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces without combat experience, as he was “tired of living and suffering” in Russia, and also asked to be put in touch with a “great training club to destroy the Russkies.” He was sent some links. However, according to “Ostorozhno, novosti,” he did not actually leave Moscow.

A year and a half later, officers from Centre “E” arrested him and drew up an administrative offence report. In court, the Moscow resident admitted guilt.

The Leninsky District Court of Ulyanovsk has fined local human rights defender Igor Toporkov one thousand roubles (approximately US$11) for displaying prohibited symbols (Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). This was reported by “7×7—Horizontal Russia.”

Toporkov was detained yesterday, 16 February, while laying flowers at the monument to victims of political repression in Ulyanovsk, a city on the Volga River in central Russia. A report was filed against him because of a portrait of Alexei Navalny, and he was kept overnight at the police station until his court hearing.

An Ulyanovsk magistrate’s court in the Lenin District has fined the owner of the local “Pod’e! bar,” Vadim Kudyushev, 150,000 roubles (approx. US$1,650) under the article on LGBT “propaganda” (Article 6.21 of the Administrative Code). This was reported by “7×7—Horizontal Russia.”

The charge was brought in January for “popularising and imposing” information about LGBT people through various interior design elements. Law enforcement pointed out in their report various colours used in the bar’s design which they claimed were “commonly recognised, hidden symbols of the LGBT community,” including white, black and pink.

Additionally, police cited the use of images of male genitals, as well as sweets shaped like buttocks and female genitals in the venue’s décor. According to law enforcement, the colours of the sweets referenced the rainbow flag.

The bar opened in the city in late December last year. The next day, Vasily Gvozdev, a regional legislative deputy, took notice of it. In a VKontakte post, he called the bar’s operation “sodomy” and requested that Rospotrebnadzor, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Ministry of Economic Development, and the Human Rights Commissioner conduct an inspection.

After the charge was filed, the bar began collecting humanitarian aid for children from the occupied part of Kherson region in Ukraine. On the eve of the court hearing, a post appeared on “Pod’e! bar’s” social media featuring an appeal from participants in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in support of the bar.

The Volzhsky City Court has sentenced Alexander Yefimov, a member of the federal bureau of the Yabloko party, to 14 days in detention. This was reported on the local Memorial Telegram channel.

Yefimov was detained on 16 February because he brought a portrait of Navalny and flowers to the monument to victims of political repression.

He was found guilty under the article on displaying prohibited symbols (Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). He spent the night in the police station.

In a nightclub in Krasnodar, a major city in southern Russia, a raid was carried out on the night of 15 February. Law enforcement officers detained two women. This was reported by the regional police press office.

At the time of the raid, there were around 200 people in the venue.

According to the police press office, the two detainees are “supporters of an organisation banned and declared extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation”—most likely referring to the LGBTQ community.

Protocols were drawn up against the women under the article on “LGBTQ propaganda” (Part 1, Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Law enforcement officers also issued warnings to twelve other clubgoers about the inadmissibility of breaking the law.