Russia is repressive. June 24-30, 2024.

Chronicle of repressions in Russia.

Over the last week of June, Russian security forces opened at least 13 criminal cases, where, according to Avtozak LIVE, there is a political motive. This is 9 cases less than in the same period; last week the number of such cases was 22.

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Because of the war in Ukraine, security forces opened 8 cases, and at least three under the article on “rehabilitation of Nazism”. The number of cases for words and the number of violent crimes are very different - 8 and 1, respectively.

This digest was prepared based on the database of our project “If there were no war.”

If you find an error or know information about other criminal cases, write to our telegram bot.

June 24, 2024:

• In the annexed Simferopol of the Republic of Crimea, a local 38-year-old resident, senior investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Major Sergei E, was detained on charges of treason. According to the Russian investigation, the man in 2016 got a job in the control and methodological department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and since then he has been collecting and transmitting personal data of Russian and Ukrainian citizens from classified SBU databases.

June 25, 2024:

• In Voronezh, a criminal case of libel was opened against the co-chairman of the Borisoglebsk Anti-Corruption Committee Oleg Meshcheryakov. According to investigators, for money Meshcheryakov offered to distribute certain leaflets containing slander against the Voronezh Regional Duma deputy from United Russia Dmitry Shiryaev and defaming his honor.

June 26, 2024:

• In the village of Krasnoye, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, they came to search the house of a local 31-year-old resident, Konstantin Ledkov. During the search, security forces seized Ledkov’s laptop, after which he was taken in handcuffs for interrogation. The next day, June 27, the Investigative Committee for the Arkhangelsk Region and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug reported on the initiation of a criminal case against Ledkov for repeated discrediting of the Russian Army, calls for activities directed against the security of the state, and repeated propaganda of Nazi symbols.

• In the city of Kirishi, Leningrad Region, two 18-year-old local residents sat near the flame of the Eternal Flame at the memorial “In Memory of the Fallen” in Victory Park, fried sausages over the fire and ate them. On the same day, the young people were detained. A criminal case was opened against them regarding the rehabilitation of Nazism. According to the security forces, by their actions the guys “insulted the memory of the defenders of the fatherland during the Great Patriotic War and desecrated the symbol of military glory - the memorial Eternal Flame.”

• A 26-year-old local resident was detained in Sevastopol in the annexed Republic of Crimea, his name has not been disclosed. A criminal case was opened against him for promoting terrorist activities. According to Russian security officials, a Sevastopol resident sent a video of one of the pro-Ukrainian underground movements in a messenger to familiar residents of Bakhchisarai with a call to join the community to carry out activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation. Also, during personal meetings, the man allegedly persuaded them to commit terrorist acts - arson of city administrative buildings. The court sent him to a pre-trial detention center.

June 27, 2024:

• In the city of Korkino, Chelyabinsk region, a criminal case for libel was opened against a local resident. According to investigators, the man, while intoxicated, on the night of May 28, 2024, posted a message in the Korkino Bulletin Board community with obscene language and insults addressed to the head of the city district, Natalya Loshchinina. The text allegedly touched on the “personal and professional qualities” of the head of the city.

June 28, 2024:

• In the city of Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan region, a criminal case was opened for repeated “discrediting of the army” against local resident Vitaly Zhuravlev. The reason for the criminal prosecution was a comment on VKontakte criticizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which the young man allegedly left in the Delovoy Akhtubinsk community. During the investigation, the man was given a written undertaking not to leave the place.

• In the village of Tashla, Tashlinsky district, Orenburg region, a criminal case on the rehabilitation of Nazism was opened against a local 61-year-old resident. According to investigators, the man, whose name has not been reported, on May 9, 2023, posted on his page on one of the social networks “an image of Nazi symbols located on top of the symbol of Russia’s military glory - the St. George’s Ribbon.” Moreover, the image was accompanied by an inscription that “is historically inaccurate, thereby desecrating the symbol of Russia’s military glory – the St. George’s Ribbon.”

• In Tula, a criminal case was opened to justify terrorism against a local 40-year-old local resident, Roman Yu. The reason for the criminal prosecution was a comment on VKontakte about Crocus City Hall. According to the investigation, under the publication about the terrorist attack in the shopping center, he wrote: “At least there will be fewer bourgeoisie!!!”; “If only they blew things up everywhere, Rastrelli gets out!!! This is so funny for our Government!!!” and “I would also blow up Moscow City.”

• In North Ossetia, a criminal case was opened to justify terrorism against a 30-year-old resident of the village of Arkhonskaya, Georgy G. The reason for the criminal prosecution was a spoiled ballot for the presidential elections in March 2024 - on the ballot, the Ossetian allegedly drew a picture of a hanged man and wrote: “glory to Ukraine” and the word “x***o” in the column with the name of Putin. According to the security forces, having spoiled the ballot, Georgy called on “an indefinite circle of people” to hang Putin and forcibly change the power in the country “to suit the interests of Ukraine.”

• In Moscow, based on the materials of the investigation, the prosecutor's office opened a criminal case for the “rehabilitation of Nazism” against the historian and honored teacher of Russia Tamara Eidelman. According to the security forces, in one of the videos on her Youtube channel “History Lessons with Tamara Eidelman,” the historian expressed “clear disrespect for the day of military glory of Russia and the memorable date of Russia associated with the defense of the Fatherland.” Perhaps we are talking about Eidelman’s video “Talking About What Matters: Stolen Victory Day” from May 5, 2024, in which she discusses how propaganda uses the history of World War II to its advantage.

• In the occupied Zaporozhye region of Ukraine, Russian security forces detained a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old resident on charges of “espionage.” The names of those detained are not reported. According to the security forces, the men, “on instructions” from Ukrainian intelligence, “collected and transmitted to the enemy information about the locations of units of the Russian Armed Forces in the city of Tokmak, Zaporozhye region, in order to launch missile and artillery strikes on them.” The court chose a preventive measure for the defendants in the form of detention.

June 29, 2024:

• In Moscow, a 57-year-old resident of the Tula region, Sergei L., was detained on Manezhnaya Square. According to security forces, he painted the inscription “GUR” on the monument to Marshal Zhukov. During interrogation, the man said that he had become a victim of scammers - he was deceived into taking out loans for half a million rubles and putting an inscription on the money to return the money. A criminal case was opened against a Tula resident for the desecration of monuments and other memorial structures.