Karelian Blogger Sentenced for Threats Against Police Officer

In autumn 2024, a court in Lodeynoye Pole handed down a verdict to a video blogger who caused a conflict in the police department of the Lodeynopolsky District, Leningrad Region. His actions led to a punishment of imprisonment for a term exceeding two years.

The incident occurred on the night of August 31 to September 1 at the 235th kilometer of the federal highway «Kola». A resident of Petrozavodsk, who was first at a stationary traffic police post and then in a facility for administrative detainees, actively obstructed the drafting of a protocol. According to the Investigative Committee, he threatened the inspector with violence and filmed his actions.

Subsequently, these recordings were published online, accompanied by insults directed at the police officer and claims about an allegedly committed particularly serious crime involving torture. The 47-year-old blogger has a YouTube channel with an audience of about 300,000 subscribers, and his content often revolved around scandalous situations.

The court found the man guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code: attempted use of violence against a government representative, public insult of a government representative, and defamation committed publicly using the internet and connected with an accusation of a particularly serious crime. As punishment, he was sentenced to 2 years and 1 month of imprisonment in a general regime correctional colony, as well as a fine of 1.2 million rubles (approximately $12,000 at current rates).