News

The TV channel Dom Kino, which is owned by Tricolor, blurred out a photograph of Alla Pugacheva in the film “The Icebreaker.” This was pointed out by a viewer of Oleg Kashin’s YouTube channel and by “Agentstvo”.

The film was broadcast in this form on the channel overnight into Wednesday, 26 March.

The film “The Icebreaker,” released in 2016, tells the story of the icebreaker “Mikhail Somov,” which became trapped in the Antarctic ice and drifted for 133 days. Pugacheva appears on a calendar, which one of the characters approaches to cross off the date.

Alla Pugacheva condemned the war in Ukraine and left Russia. Because of her anti-war stance, pro-government media regularly criticise the singer, and NTV has released five “hit pieces” on Pugacheva since the start of March, reports Agentstvo.

The “Yandex.Music” platform has removed several tracks from Noize MC’s new album “Not All at Home” at the request of Roskomnadzor. This was reported by RBC and SOTA.

The tracks “Not All at Home,” “Cryochambers,” “Land of Rain,” and “Cooperative ‘Swan Lake’” have disappeared from the streaming service.

“Yandex.Music has received an official order from Roskomnadzor to restrict access to a number of tracks by Noize MC. According to the law ‘On Information, Information Technologies, and Information Protection,’ Yandex.Music is obliged to comply with such demands within 24 hours,” the service’s press office told RBC.

Noize MC released his tenth studio album, “Not All at Home,” on 14 March. This is the artist’s first album since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “This album is about all Russias at once—the abandoned and the vanished, the inner and the incurable, the rejecting and the rejected,” the musician said in an interview with Meduza.

28 March The “Roskomsvoboda” project noted that songs by Noize MC had appeared in the register of banned websites. The links in the register lead to various music services.

The project clarifies that these are the same tracks that were previously removed from Yandex.Music at Roskomnadzor’s request. The agency specified that they demanded their removal “for spreading false socially significant information.”

The Moscow City Court has overturned, on appeal, the deportation order issued against Petar Martić, the founder of the bands Pasosh and Prygai Kiska. This was reported by the press service of the Moscow courts.

In January 2024, Martić was found guilty under an administrative article on the promotion of drugs (Part 2, Article 6.13 of the Code of Administrative Offences). He was fined 20,000 roubles (approximately US$220) and ordered to be deported from Russia.

The protocol against the musician was drawn up over the song Nasekomoye (“Insect”) by Prygai Kiska, recorded together with the rapper Boulevard Depo. The track begins with the words: “no more joints.”

Martić was born in Belgrade in 1993, and in 2002 moved with his family to Moscow. His band Pasosh broke up in 2021 after Martić’s ex-partner, singer Anna Zosimova, accused him of physical and psychological abuse. Since then, he has continued to perform as a solo artist.

The Ust-Kut City Court has fined local resident Kseniya Kuznetsova 15,000 rubles (about US$165) for criticising a banner featuring a soldier who died in the war in Ukraine. This was reported by the 7×7 news outlet, which drew attention to the court’s published decision.

The ruling was delivered on 6 March. Kuznetsova was found guilty of discrediting the army (Part 1, Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). She also admitted her guilt.

Although the minimum fine for discrediting the army is 30,000 rubles (about US$330), the judge imposed a lower amount on Kuznetsova, as she is raising three young children alone and also has a disability.

In November 2024, Kuznetsova posted a video on VKontakte showing the banner with the words “Glory to Russian heroes” along with a photo of the deceased soldier, and criticised it. She said she did not understand the need for “glory, which I couldn’t care less about in the grave.”

“A rich, healthy, strong, sturdy man up until his very death, influential, powerful—that, damn it, is glory in my personal, subjective view,” she added.

Law enforcement took notice of the video after it was shared on pro-government Telegram channels, including by Irkutsk-based blogger Ilya Filippenko. (Irkutsk is a major city in Siberia.)

After Kuznetsova was detained, the Interior Ministry for Irkutsk Oblast released a video of her apologising to the regiment in which the deceased soldier had served, as well as to the people of Russia.

Roskomnadzor has blocked a VKontakte group dedicated to the 'Baimak case'. RusNews drew attention to this.

The community called ”Baimak. Arrests. Chronicle of Events” is now unavailable to users in Russia. The group coordinated support for those involved in the case and published news about them.

• In January 2024, a wave of protests took place in Bashkortostan, a region in the Urals, in response to the sentencing of local activist Fail Alsynov. This was followed by a series of administrative cases involving several hundred people, as well as a criminal case opened over alleged mass unrest.

The Leninsky District Court in Krasnodar has sentenced blogger and powerlifter Vladimir Vanyan to 13 days’ detention on charges of disobeying the police (Article 19.3 of the Administrative Offences Code) after he faced pressure in pro-war Z-channels. This was reported by the court’s press service.

As Mediazona reports, on 24 March, five short clips from Vanyan’s stream were posted by a pro-government nationalist blogger, Vladislav Pozdnyakov.

In the videos, the man says: “Karabakh is Armenia, and Krasnodar is Armenia.” Responding to a comment warning that the FSB would be waiting for him in the street for saying such things, Vanyan replied: “Fuck off, the FSB can suck my dick, we’re waiting, your FSB is a cunt.” When asked his position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the blogger said: “What fucking special military operation? I don’t give a fuck. Here we are, fucking about, barbecue, cognac, whisky.”

Vanyan’s YouTube channel, “Zolotoy 123,” is now hidden and the stream footage is no longer available. The blogger had nearly 10,000 subscribers.

Today, Pozdnyakov published video of Vanyan’s detention. FSB officers stopped the blogger on the road, pulled him out of the car, forced him face down on the ground, and handcuffed him. The man gave his name and answered questions from the security services, after which he was dragged into a minibus. According to Vanyan, he felt unwell at the time of his detention.

After his detention, Vanyan recorded an apology video in which he “sincerely apologised” to FSB officers and Russian soldiers involved in the invasion of Ukraine. He said: “Ready to defend Russia with arms in hand <…> I love Russia, ready to serve Russia. So they’ve shaved my beard, tidied me up—we’ll serve with arms in hand in the special operation.”

Vanyan has been charged with disobeying the police. According to the court’s press service, during his detention, the man refused to show his passport to the officers, began shouting, and tried to escape. In addition, he has been charged with insulting government authorities (part 3, article 20.1 of the Administrative Offences Code) and “discrediting” the army (article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Offences Code). The court has not yet considered these charges.

An employee of the Ministry of Education and Youth Policy of Sverdlovsk Region was detained in Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, when he held a solo protest against the “Truba” monument, which commemorates the deployment of Russian troops to Sudzha (Kursk Region). This was reported by Ura.ru.

The placard had “a message of condemnation regarding the installation,” an eyewitness to the protest told the outlet.

The young person was charged with discrediting the army (Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code). According to Ura.ru, they are being held in a detention facility. The protester’s phone was confiscated.

14:20 The detainee’s name is Roman Gilmanov, reports “7×7—Horizontal Russia.”

A protocol was also drawn up for disobeying the police (Article 19.3 of the Administrative Code), for which he was sentenced to 15 days in jail. This was reported by the press service of the Kirov District Court of Yekaterinburg.

On 24 March, the court registered three administrative protocols for the absence of a label identifying materials as belonging to a “foreign agent” (Part 4, Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code). These were filed against Olga Romanova, head of the Rus’ Sidyashchaya foundation, blogger Darya Bogdanova (known as “Pepel Klaasa”), and journalist Andrey Soldatov. Previously, the Ministry of Justice had designated all three as “foreign agents.”

A further four administrative protocols were drawn up under the article concerning the absence of “foreign agent” labelling in materials from a participant or head of a public association or legal entity listed in the “foreign agent” register (Part 5, Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code). These were issued to one of the creators of the media outlet Ateo, Grigory Ozerov; journalist Dmitry Kovalenko, whom the Ministry of Justice regards as the author of the Nezygar channel; journalist Maria Volokh, whom the Ministry links to the “Mozhem Obyasnit” project; and Elizaveta Tsybulina, whom the Ministry considers a participant in the human rights project “First Department.”

The court hearings for these administrative offence protocols have not yet been scheduled.

Last week, on 19 March, Moscow courts received 13 administrative offence protocols at once, also for violations of the “foreign agent” legislation.

A protocol on “LGBT propaganda” (Part 1, Article 6.21 of the Administrative Code) has been drawn up against a 60-year-old resident of Belovo, a city in the Kemerovo region of Siberia. This was reported by Vesti Kuzbass.

The man was detained after videos appeared on social media showing him walking down the street in a women’s jacket and “making indecent proposals to passersby.”

Over the week starting 12 March, Roskomnadzor sent Google 47 requests to remove VPN services from the Google Play app store. This was reported by journalist Maria Kolomychenko, as noted by Mediazona.

According to the Lumen database, where Google publishes information about content removal requests, Roskomnadzor demanded the removal of HideMyNetVPN, Secure VPN, VPN Monster, and Galaxy VPN, among others. The agency claims that these services “contain prohibited information about methods and techniques for accessing information resources and/or telecommunications networks that are restricted within the Russian Federation.”

Kolomychenko points out that previously, Roskomnadzor did not submit requests to remove VPN services from Google Play at this frequency. Most of these services rely on the infrastructure of the US-based CDN provider Cloudflare.

Yesterday, 20 March, in Siberia and the Urals—a large region of Russia stretching east of the European border—there was a major disruption affecting websites that use this service. Roskomnadzor stated that the problems were linked to “the use of foreign server infrastructure, where these failures are being recorded,” and recommended switching to Russian hosting providers.

The Khamovnichesky District Court received a case concerning the lawyer Elena Lukyanova.

The Tagansky District Court registered cases concerning journalist Mikhail Zygar, participant in the “Freedom of Russia” Legion Alexei Baranovsky, the head of “First Department,” Dmitry Zair-Bek, journalist Alisher Adbulaev, Anti-Corruption Foundation staff member Maria Pevchikh, politician Mikhail Khodorkovsky, sex educator Sasha Kazantseva, journalist Igor Yakovenko, blogger Yury Dud, journalist Renat Davletgildeev, historian Konstantin Pakhalyuk, and comedian Semyon Slepakov.

Residents of Siberia are reporting problems accessing the internet, reportedly due to the blocking of CloudFlare services. This has been written about by SOTA and “Ostorozhno, novosti”.

According to discussions on thematic forums, the issue has affected home internet connections; services such as Speedtest and Deepseek are not working, nor are VPN services. Moreover, access has been lost not only to websites blocked in Russia, but also to permitted ones—including some online games.

Last autumn, Roskomnadzor blocked many CloudFlare services using the Encrypted Client Hello technology, which allows users to circumvent restrictions. In February, the company was added to the list of information dissemination organisers, which obliges the service to provide information on clients to the Russian authorities.

On 17 March, the Leninsky District Court in Samara fined activist and elderly woman Natalya Baranova 10,000 roubles (approx. US$110) under the article on inciting hatred or enmity (Article 20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). This was reported by Idel.Realii.

Baranova was accused of inciting hatred towards FSB officers. Charges were brought over a post on her Telegram channel from 20 December last year, in which she spoke about the case of the “Community of Indigenous Russian People of Samara Region” involving Lyubov Kuzaeva and Ilya Martyshkin, and suggested that their cases were fabricated.

Baranova later edited the post on the advice of her lawyer. In the original version, she referred to the FSB as “the most vile of the security agencies.” A linguistic examination by the Russian Interior Ministry’s Forensic Centre in Samara Region concluded that the post portrayed “FSB officers as a source of harm and evil” and contained statements about “the need for hostile (violent) actions by one group against another group.”

Baranova did not admit guilt. She said she wrote the post in the heat of the moment and expressed her disagreement with what was happening and with the investigator’s actions. The activist and her defence pointed out that the post had already been amended and had caused no harm to anyone.

A 21-year-old Moscow resident has been sentenced to 10 days’ detention for having “saved” images with rainbows and LGBT-themed memes. This was reported by the channel “Ostorozhno, Moskva.”

The woman was arrested on 18 March under the article on the “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations” (Art. 6.21 of the Administrative Code). She faced six charges at once because of images published between 2016 and 2018. In addition to arrest, the woman from Moscow was also fined. The amount of the fine is unknown.

Case materials show that the presence of “LGBT propaganda” was established by an expert. The expert stated that the woman had posted on social networks “an image of a person wrapped in a flag that is the international symbol of the LGBT community, specifically the ‘Rainbow Flag,’ holding a wand in one hand and an energy drink in the other, with captions on the image: ‘I am the fairy of gay energy drinks and cats,’ ‘Vzhukh and you’re a f*ggot’” (original spelling preserved).

Russian online streaming platforms have cut a scene from the American sitcom Silicon Valley in which startup founders discuss masturbating other men. This was reported by Baza.

In the final episode of the first season, the main characters take part in a startup competition and joke that they are prepared to masturbate every man in the audience if it would help them win, summarises Mediazona. The programmers then start coming up with an algorithm for how to do this most efficiently. This three-minute scene is missing from the version of the show available on platforms such as Kinopoisk, Okko and Ivi.

A court in Moscow has fined a student a total of 302,000 rubles (approx. US$3,300) over saved images of two women kissing and a rainbow flag. This was reported by the outlet “Ostorozhno, Moskva” (“Careful, Moscow”), citing the young person, who asked not to be named.

According to him, he saved the images on his VKontakte page back in 2018, when he was still at school. He described being detained and taken to the police.

“It was my birthday. As I was coming out of the entrance, they took me by the arms and put me in a minibus. In one day, we were taken to the district police department, then the prosecutor’s office and the court; it took five hours in total. While we were driving in the minibus, I deleted all my saved items and hid my profile,” Ostorozhno, Moskva quotes the student as saying.

The police drew up three charges against him under the article on “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations” (Art. 6.21, Code of Administrative Offences) due to the images of women kissing. Another charge—under the article for displaying extremist symbols (Art. 20.3 of the Code)—was brought against the student over the rainbow flag.

For the first three charges, the young man was fined a total of 300,000 rubles (approx. US$3,275), and for the “extremist symbols” article—an additional fine of 2,000 rubles (approx. US$22).

In Saratov, a major city on the Volga River, a protocol for displaying banned symbols (Article 20.3, Part 1 of the Code of Administrative Offences) was drawn up against photographer Nurlan Sultanov because of a portrait of the late politician Alexei Navalny, reports 164.ru.

According to law enforcement, on 16 February, the anniversary of the politician’s death, Sultanov came to lay flowers at the Vavilov monument and placed a black-and-white photograph of Navalny there. When police officers demanded the image be removed, the photographer agreed and took it away.

164.ru writes that Sultanov was detained on 14 March. After this, he spent almost two days in the police department.

The Frunzensky District Court of Saratov is currently considering his case. At the hearing, the photographer stated that the image of Navalny is not included on the list of extremist materials. Sultanov also recounted that after his arrest, law enforcement restricted his right to use his mobile phone and subjected him to moral and physical pressure.

Community police officer Evgeniya Zakharova, who drew up the protocol, told the court that she considered Navalny’s portrait to be a banned symbol because the organisations he led had been declared extremist.

Zakharova also told the court the circumstances of Sultanov’s detention. First, he was invited to the police station by phone, to which he declined. After that, a model (as the publication clarifies, a civilian) arranged a photoshoot with the photographer and paid a deposit. Instead of her, police officers turned up at the photographer’s studio and detained him.

18:00 Nurlan Sultanov was sentenced to five days of administrative arrest, reports portal 164.ru.

Judge Ekaterina Murzina of the Frunzensky District Court of Saratov found the activist guilty of distributing extremist symbolism. The court also ordered the confiscation of Sultanov’s “item of offence.” Taking into account the two days already spent in detention after his arrest, the photographer now has three more days to serve under arrest.

At the hearing, the activist’s defender, lawyer Kirill Rumyantsev, pointed out that Navalny’s photo “is not listed in” Moscow City Court decisions on symbols found to be extremist. He also noted that at the Borisovskoye Cemetery in Moscow, where the politician is buried, “there’s also his photo, but no one has recognised this as extremist activity.”

17 March Details emerged about Sultanov’s detention. Reports Novaya Gazeta.

Police lured the photographer to a meeting with the help of a decoy model. She paid a deposit for a photoshoot. Sultanov was detained when he arrived at the studio for the shoot.

During the detention, police hit him in the solar plexus and on the back of the head, and spoke to him roughly to force a confession and the statements they wanted. Officers promised that after he confessed, Sultanov would “get away with just a fine.”

Sultanov did not plead guilty. Before the trial, he was held for two days in the Ministry of Internal Affairs police station. During that time, he was fed only once.

Andrei Trofimov, an anti-war activist from Tver Oblast, who was sentenced to ten years in a penal colony, has been fined 2,000 roubles (about US$22) over a drawing of the Freedom of Russia Legion chevron, reports Mediazona, citing his letter.

The Moskovsky District Court in Tver issued this ruling on 11 March. Trofimov was found guilty of displaying banned symbols (part 1, article 20.3 of the Administrative Offences Code).

“I’m honestly proud of myself. I’m not just good at drawing emojis. In court today, [11 March], I acknowledged the factual circumstances of the case, but of course did not admit guilt, and I explained in detail to the judge and prosecutor (two young women) who is actually right in the war with Ukraine, and why Russia’s military propaganda pushes the topic of fascism so much,” Trofimov wrote.

Mediazona does not specify where the security forces found this drawing.

In autumn 2023, Trofimov was sentenced to ten years in a high-security penal colony, charged with spreading military “fakes” (part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), incitement to extremism (part 2, article 280), and attempting to join an illegal armed group (part 2, article 208, with reference to part 1, article 30). The case was triggered by his anti-war posts and application to join the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Blogger Yuri Ozarovsky has been fined 30,000 rubles (approximately US$340) for swearing in videos where he talked about the removal of clean sand from the beaches of Anapa, a resort city on the Black Sea. Ozarovsky shared this on his YouTube channel.

The Anapa City Court found him guilty under the article on petty hooliganism on the internet (part 3 of article 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). “I don’t plan to swear anymore, I can’t afford it,” Ozarovsky commented.

Earlier, an officer from the Centre for Combating Extremism (“E” Centre) spoke with him about a video in which activists tried to stop machinery from removing clean sand.

After two tankers carrying oil products sank in the Black Sea on 15 December 2024, thousands of rescuers and volunteers worked to clean up oil residue from the beaches. Since February, Ozarovsky has been calling attention on social media to cases where clean sand is being removed from beaches without being sifted for oil clumps.

The editor-in-chief of “Vechernie Vedomosti,” Vladislav Postnikov, who was due to be released from the detention centre today after serving 14 days under arrest, has been issued a new protocol for displaying prohibited symbols (Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences), reports RusNews.

The journalist was taken to the Leninsky District Court in Nizhny Tagil, a city in the Urals. The case is already being considered by a judge.

The new protocol was triggered by two posts on a Telegram channel. The outlet It’s My City reported that the posts in question concerned an action by “Another Russia” activists held in September 2021, and an event organised by Alexei Navalny’s Yekaterinburg headquarters in October 2020. The first post featured a logo of the banned NBP (a predecessor of “Another Russia”), while the second showed a photo of a person wearing a badge from Navalny’s headquarters on their lapel.

The previous protocol for prohibited symbols, which resulted in Postnikov’s arrest and 14-day sentence, was drawn up over a four-year-old post which also included a logo associated with Navalny’s headquarters.

17:47 The Leninsky District Court of Nizhny Tagil has sentenced the editor-in-chief of “Vechernie Vedomosti,” Vladislav Postnikov, to 14 days’ arrest. His lawyer Roman Kachanov reported this to OVD-Info.

“I am accused of a deliberate act, of publicly displaying extremist symbols. The circumstances regarding my current prosecution should be taken into account by the court, because, excuse me, this is a ‘set-up.’ I’ve been detained, denied access to administer the Telegram channels, and meanwhile they are searching for posts which I have no possibility of deleting,” said Vladislav Postnikov to the publication “Govorit NeMoskva.”

17 March Vladislav Postnikov suspects that the trigger for his arrest was his planned lecture at the “Evening of Ural Identity” event scheduled for 28 February. This was reported by “Vechernie Vedomosti.”

Postnikov added that the link between the arrest and his speaking engagement was confirmed by Ombudsperson Tatyana Merzlyakova in a conversation with his relatives. However, the journalist noted that the lecture could not be the sole reason, as this is a case of “carousel arrest,” and the lecture was disrupted only after the first detention.

Vladislav Postnikov explained that he considers local identity important, but does not support the separation of the Ural Republic from Russia. “And not because the law forbids it, but because these are my beliefs, formed many years ago,” the journalist explains.

Courts in Kirov region have banned 33 sticker packs on Telegram due to the presence of stickers featuring extremist symbols, calculated by “Verstka” based on published rulings.

The bans were made following lawsuits filed by the prosecutor’s office. Since late 2023, courts have granted 13 such lawsuits.

Most of the stickers play on Nazi themes, in particular, including memes featuring Hitler and the swastika. Other images feature the coat of arms and flag of Ukraine, as well as rainbow symbols.

The Lomonosovsky District Court in Leningrad Region has fined St Petersburg priest Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko 15,000 rubles (about US$160). He reported this on his Telegram channel on 10 March.

The priest said that in November 2024, the main office of the Ministry of Justice for St Petersburg and Leningrad Region sent him a warning. Mikhnov-Vaitenko did not receive it.

The document stated that he had reposted material from the publication Bumaga, which had been designated as a “foreign agent,” without specifying this status. The priest was given one and a half months to correct the violation.

As a result, an administrative offence report was drawn up against him. Mikhnov-Vaitenko was accused of failing to comply with an order to rectify breaches of “foreign agent” legislation (part 42, article 19.5 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

“I have to say, if I had received the warning in time, I would have easily written that they were foreign agents, or deleted the post. But I didn’t receive it. Nor did I receive an invitation to the administrative hearing, which didn’t stop the Ministry of Justice from proceeding and sending the case to court, which, ‘taking into account the personal characteristics of the person involved,’ imposed a fine. <…> I will appeal this decision anyway!” the priest wrote.

Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko was also added to the “foreign agent” register in July 2024. The Ministry of Justice claimed that the priest had spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and disseminated unreliable information about the actions of the Russian authorities.

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).