Pressed ‘like’ on Youtube video, was fined for "discreditation of army"
A 71-year-old pensioner from Alakurtti, Kola Peninsula, has been fined 30,000 rubles (€325) after he pressed ‘like’ on videos considered defamatory of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Vasily Yovdiy watched videos on YouTube and pressed 'like' on several of them. The likes were discovered by representatives of the FSB in his home town of Alakurtti. The problem was that several of the videos were produced by people branded as so-called 'foreign agents' by Russian censorship authorities.
Judge Yegor Valaitus from the local court of Kandalaksha considered the "offence" sufficient for finding the pensioner guilty of 'discrediting the army.'
Yovdiy was fined 30,000 rubles (€325).
It was newspaper Verstka that first discovered the ruling by the Kandalaksha court. The case might be the first time that a Russian court fines someone for likes on YouTube.
According to the court document, the 'violation' was identified by officers at the FSB border guard service in Alakurtti, a settlement and base for the 80th Motorised Rifle Brigade.
Yovdiy had liked videos produced by two 'foreign agents.' In addition, he had pressed 'like' on a video about the death of Russian General Igor Kirillov, a military man who was killed by Ukrainian special services in 2024.
Public approval of such materials on the Internet is aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation [...],
judge Valaitus argued. He added that the offence carries a 'major danger to the public.'
Vasiliy Yovdiy did not appear in court, but reportedly stated that he admits guilt, repents for his actions, and 'does not support the current regime of Ukraine'.
The pensioner is himself a citizen of Ukraine. Reportedly, he has a residence permit in Russia.
Russian authorities introduced rigid censorship following the start of the full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Thousands have been fined for so-called 'discreditation of the army.' Thousands more have faced criminal charges and imprisonment for anti-war activism.
Recently, the Barents Observer reported about the criminal case against Vadim Ivushkin, a Ukrainian citizen living in the republic of Komi. He was accused of 'justifying terrorism' for comments about an attack that did not happen.
