The key facts
- The Moscow City Court will consider Artyom Chekalin's appeal on October 21 at 10:00; he was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony and a fine of 194.5 million rubles
- According to the prosecution, Chekalin, Lerchek and Roman Vishnyak withdrew more than 251.5 million rubles from the sale of fitness marathons to the accounts of a foreign company
- The defense demands acquittal, the prosecution demands a harsher sentence or upholding the verdict; Lerchek's case also arrived at the Moscow City Court on October 19, 2026
Chekalin Case Appeal Scheduled for October 21
The Moscow City Court will consider the appeal of Artyom Chekalin, the ex-husband of blogger Lerchek (Valeria Chekalina), who was convicted of illegally withdrawing money abroad, on October 21. The hearing is scheduled for 10:00, RIA Novosti reports citing the court's press service. Chekalin himself will take part in the hearing via video conference.
Positions of the Parties
The defense insists on Chekalin's full acquittal, arguing that his actions contain no corpus delicti. The lawyers dispute the first-instance court's conclusions about the submission of forged documents when transferring money to the UAE. The prosecution, on the contrary, demands that the verdict be left unchanged.
First-Instance Verdict
In April, the Gagarinsky Court of Moscow sentenced Chekalin to seven years in a general-regime penal colony and a fine of 194.5 million rubles. According to the prosecution, he, together with his ex-wife Valeria and business partner Roman Vishnyak, organized the transfer of more than 251.5 million rubles to the accounts of a foreign company. The money came from the sale of fitness marathons.
Hearing Postponement and Lerchek's Case
Initially, the appeal was planned to be considered on September 28, but the hearing was postponed: documents confirming the timely notification of the convicted person about the hearing did not arrive from the pre-trial detention facility. It was also previously reported that the Moscow City Court would review Lerchek's own case concerning the transfer of more than 250 million rubles to the accounts of non-residents in the UAE using forged documents: the prosecution demands a harsher punishment for the blogger, while her defense seeks an acquittal. The case materials arrived at the court on October 19, 2026. In addition, it was previously reported that Lerchek refused to take a polygraph test in connection with the disappearance of jewelry worth 14.4 million rubles.
