Writer Viktor Shenderovich left Russia due to a libel claim filed against him

Satirist writer Viktor Shenderovich left Russia. He made this decision because of a libel complaint filed against him by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin. Shenderovich wrote about this on his Facebook.

Shenderovich fears that if a criminal case is opened, then a preventive measure related to the restriction of freedom may be chosen against him. “In the meantime, this Prigozhin is an elite here, so I will continue to perform the function of a foreign agent - outside of my homeland, but without a muzzle. So it will be more pleasant for me, and it will be more fun for you, ”he writes.

On December 30, Prigozhin filed a statement with the Sokolniki police department that Shenderovich, on the air of Ekho Moskvy on March 18, 2021, called him a “murderer” and said that he was sponsoring the Wagner PMC. The businessman asked to initiate a criminal case on libel, combined with a charge of a particularly serious crime (part 5 of article 128.1 of the Criminal Code, the article provides for up to five years in prison).

On December 24, the Primorsky District Court of St. Petersburg already satisfied Prigozhin’s civil suit in connection with these statements and recovered one million rubles from Ekho Moskvy, and 100 thousand rubles from Shenderovich.

• On December 30, the Ministry of Justice added Viktor Shenderovich to the list of media outlets performing the function of a “foreign agent”.