A court in Russia’s Murmansk region has, for the first time, classified liking videos on YouTube as “discrediting” the army. The likes were discovered after police unlocked a mobile phone.
The Kovdor District Court in the Murmansk region fined pensioner Vasily Yovdiy, a Ukrainian citizen, 30,000 roubles for “discrediting” the Russian army. The case was based on likes that he left under YouTube videos and marks the first such ruling in Russia, according to the outlet Vyorstka.
According to the case file, Yovdiy left “approving comments (reactions in the form of likes)” under videos on YouTube. The specific videos are not identified, but it is known that two were created by individuals designated as “foreign agents”, and that one of the videos discussed the death of Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s chemical protection troops, in an explosion.
The administrative case against Yovdiy was initiated following an inspection by the FSB border service in the village of Alakkurti. The court ruling states that officers examined his phone and found a YouTube account with 139 videos listed under the “liked” category.
Yovdiy did not attend the hearing. Nevertheless, the court claimed that he pleaded guilty and stated that he “does not support the current regime in Ukraine”. The court classified his actions as “public”, despite the fact that likes on YouTube videos are visible only to the account holder.
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What is “discrediting the army”?
This offence was introduced in Russia in 2022, allowing the authorities to punish public statements or actions they interpret as undermining the reputation or legitimacy of the armed forces. In practice, it has been used to target virtually any opposition to the war or criticism of the Russian military.
Source: https://t.me/novaya_pishet/56067