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Automated monitoring (AI) — Page 12
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15.09.2026
On 2 September, the Chernogorsk City Court fined 30-year-old Tatyana M. from Khakassia 30,000 roubles (US$325) for “discrediting the army” (Part 1, Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) after she shouted out of her window about the war in Ukraine. According to the court, a neighbour recorded her on a dictaphone, three more neighbours confirmed the regular outbursts, and Tatyana herself pleaded guilty.
By 14 September, courts had removed almost a third of the single-mandate candidates from Yabloko from the elections, most often in response to lawsuits from competitors. At least 32 candidates from the party will not take part in the elections, and this number may increase as some candidates are being prosecuted under “extremism”-related articles.
The 2nd Eastern District Military Court has sentenced a resident of Zabaykalsky Krai in Russia’s Far East to six years in prison for publicly justifying terrorism and rehabilitating Nazism online. According to the FSB, the man posted comments in Telegram chats that justified the actions of Ukrainian terrorist organisations and made negative remarks about Russian society and the St George’s ribbon.
On 14 September, the Murmansk electoral commission banned Yabloko candidate Igor Khomechko from distributing a campaign video, claiming that the mention of Alfa-Bank constituted a copyright violation. According to the commission, the video shows the bank’s trademark; however, it actually features a utility bill with the bank’s name on it.
On 26 August, the Ordzhonikidzevsky Court of Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, fined Andrey Voloshin 150,000 roubles (US$1,500) under the article on repeated “discrediting” of the army over anti-war comments on VKontakte. According to Voloshin, during his detention, security officers tortured him with electric shocks, suffocated him with a plastic bag and threatened him with violence.
The Kalininsky District Court of Novosibirsk fined Alexei Grebenkin 300,000 rubles (around US$3,300) in a case concerning the financing of extremist activity (Part 1, Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code). According to the prosecution, between August and October 2021, he transferred 900 rubles (about US$10) to an account of the “Anti-Corruption Foundation” at the American bank Wells Fargo.
14.09.2026
The First Court of Appeal has increased the sentence for translator Svetlana Savelyeva from Irkutsk region (a major city in Siberia) to 15 years and two months in a penal colony on charges of attempted high treason and preparation for illegally crossing the border. The court also changed the wording of the aggravating circumstance from “the crime was committed during an armed conflict” to “during the period of mobilisation.”
In Kursk Oblast, a region in western Russia, a campaign video by Yabloko party candidate Alexander Novikov aired with the slogan: “We will return peaceful skies.” Previously, Yabloko candidates in various regions had reported difficulties placing anti-war campaign materials and having their videos removed from broadcasts.
On 14 September, the Central District Court of Volgograd extended the pre-trial detention of Roman Melnychenko, a former professor at Volgograd State University who is accused under the article on “discrediting the army” (Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code), keeping him in a remand prison until 20 November 2026. According to investigators, in September last year Melnychenko posted videos on social media which, the court claims, contained negative assessments of the actions of Russian military personnel.
In the Rostov region, a criminal case has been opened against a 36-year-old resident of the Krasnosulinsky district under the article on financing terrorism (Part 1.1, Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to investigators, the man transferred money to support a banned organisation; he was detained and his home was searched.
The administration of Leningrad State University instructed group leaders to inform students that 18 September would be a day off for voting in the elections, and that after voting they would need to report to their curator. This was reported by a reader of 'Groza'.
Vadim Slinyakov has been sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of state treason, group sabotage, preparation for sabotage, and two counts of money laundering. According to the decision of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court, he will spend the first five years in prison, with the remainder of his sentence in a high-security penal colony.
The leader of the Communist Party faction in the Legislative Assembly of Leningrad Region, Ivan Apostolevsky, has filed a lawsuit alleging political persecution and is asking for this to be officially recognised. He says that he has been repeatedly subjected to administrative liability, including in July 2026 under the article on displaying extremist symbols, which resulted in him losing the right to run in elections.
The Leninsky District Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Ukrainian national Olga Shchekina to 10 days' detention on charges of petty hooliganism. Shchekina was detained on 7 September in Rostov; previously, she had been held at a temporary accommodation centre in Taganrog after attempting to cross the border between Donetsk and Rostov regions.
The prosecutor has requested seven and a half years in a penal colony for preacher Eduard Charov at the Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals. Charov is accused of justifying terrorism and repeat “discrediting” of the army due to a comment about an arson attack on a military enlistment office and posts on social media.
Sergey Demin has been released from a detention centre in Moscow after serving 15 days for holding a protest at the Solovki Stone and at the FSB building. He now faces trial under charges of “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces” for a July demonstration with a placard reading “Peace to the world.”
In the Moscow region, law enforcement officers have detained a local resident born in 1962 in connection with a case involving public incitement and justification of terrorism (Part 2, Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, the man posted material in a messenger app that justified the activities of “ATESH” and called on users to join the organisation.
In the Tula region, Kira Kalinicheva, a candidate from the Yabloko party, has been unable to submit the lists of election observers to the Zarechenskaya and Proletarskaya territorial election commissions due to reports of bomb threats to the buildings. Party representatives say that the acceptance of documents was halted on the final day for submissions, and they have been unable to contact the election commission management.
The Cheryomushki District Court in Moscow has blocked access to three web pages featuring the text of “Heated Rivalry” by American author Rachel Reid. The prosecution called for the sites to be blocked due to what the agency claims is the “promotion of extremist LGBT ideology” in the book. There has been no official announcement about a ban on the book itself or on the associated TV series.
The Khabez District Court in Karachay-Cherkessia will hear a criminal case against 15 people accused of creating and participating in the activities of a banned organisation (Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to the court, two are charged with organising the group, while the rest face charges of participation; nearly all are in custody, with one person under house arrest.