Police in Volgograd hunt for administrators of abusive Telegram chat targeting students

In Volgograd, police have launched a search for the administrators and creators of an anonymous Telegram channel with insults and threats directed at schoolchildren. This was reported in the response of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region to an editorial request from the online publication V1.RU.

Recall that the appearance of a chat called ‘Freaks of Volgograd’ was reported by well-known Volgograd animal rights activist Alina Erina. According to her, she found her son in this chat.

‘It turns out there is a Telegram channel with an audience of over five thousand people, where they post personal photos and data of children, insult them profanely, and call for violence against these children and teenagers,’ said Alina Erina. ‘Information about my child ended up there, and I found out about it. We want to bring this to light and sort out the situation. What is happening is terrible. These are all children from our city.’

On the screenshots attached to the appeal to the V1.RU editorial office, indeed, there are photos of teenagers and profane descriptions with calls to commit acts of violence against young people.

Parents intended to write a collective statement to the police asking to find and hold accountable the author of the Telegram channel. Similar requests were sent by the V1.RU editorial office to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region and the regional office of Roskomnadzor. From the controlling authority came a response that, based on the review of the complaint received by Roskomnadzor, a demand has been sent to Telegram to remove personal data.

Later, a response also came from the police. The law enforcement agency stated that they have registered the appeal of the mother of one of the schoolchildren who ended up in the destructive chat.

‘In Police Department No. 7 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Volgograd, verification materials have been registered based on the statement of the legal representative of a minor,’ says the police response. ‘Currently, a set of measures is being carried out aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident. Upon completion of the verification, a decision will be made in accordance with the legislation.’