Murmansk activist Violetta Grudina faces charges for “discrediting the army”

The case was submitted to the court on 13 March. However, just three days later, on 16 March, Judge Nikolai Vartanyan returned the case file to the police who had prepared it. This may have been due to errors in the documentation, insufficient evidence, or failure to follow required procedural rules.

According to Grudina herself, the charges may be linked to a post published on her Telegram channel on 13 March. In that post, she questioned what would happen when soldiers return from the war in large numbers, suggesting that, judging by recent news reports, incidents of violence could continue.

In a comment to the Barents Observer, Grudina stated that the case would not affect her life and that she would “continue writing as before”. She also expressed surprise that law enforcement authorities have only now shown interest in her, despite her having left Russia earlier.

Violetta Grudina is a political activist from Murmansk and a former coordinator of Alexei Navalny’s local campaign office. She has been involved in protest movements and human rights work in the region.

In 2021, Grudina stood as a candidate in the Murmansk City Council elections but faced significant pressure from the authorities and was ultimately removed from the ballot. In January 2022, she left Russia with her son.

In December 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that mass searches and the freezing of bank accounts belonging to Navalny supporters constituted political persecution. The court awarded Grudina and other activists €10,000 each in compensation for non-pecuniary damage.