In Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug a case was brought to court under Art. 280.3 and 319 CC

Local resident Viktor Bondarenko will appear in court.

On January 29, 2026, the Kondinsky District Court of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug (KhMAO) received the case of Viktor Bondarenko, accused under Art. 319 (insulting a government official) and Part 1 of Art. 280.3 of the Criminal Code (repeated discrediting of the Russian armed forces).

What served as the reason for the criminal prosecution of Bondarenko is still unknown. Administrative liability for discrediting the army under Part 1 of Art. 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences, he was brought in on June 17, 2022. Then the Kondinsky District Court fined Bondarenko, who worked as a salesman at the Magnit store in the town of Mezhdurechensky, for comments in the “School Life” public page on VKontakte. The court ruling said he equated the “Z” symbol “to a Zombie, to a swastika.”

From our point of view, the introduction into legislation of a ban on discrediting the actions of the Russian armed forces and government agencies abroad was an unjustified restriction of the right to freedom of expression, designed to suppress criticism of the political course of the authorities. Therefore, if prosecution under the relevant articles for statements that do not contain direct calls for violence, we consider it unlawful.

Sources

• Criminal case card No. 1-41/2026 // Kondinsky District Court of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. 2026. January 30..
• Administrative violation case file No. 5-139/2022 // Kondinsky District Court of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. 2025. February 20.