The key facts

  • The FSB Directorate for the Belgorod Region has opened a case against the owner of the 'Pepel' channel for justifying terrorism and supporting banned organizations.
  • The person involved has been designated a foreign agent and, according to the FSB, is in one of the countries of the South Caucasus.
  • The maximum penalty under the charges is up to seven years in prison.

The essence of the case

The FSB Directorate for the Belgorod Region has opened a criminal case against the owner of the Telegram channel 'Pepel' (Ashes). According to RIA Novosti, citing the agency, the case was opened under articles on justifying terrorism and supporting banned terrorist organizations. In its statement, the FSB Directorate described the person involved as a foreign agent who, according to the agency, is currently in one of the countries of the South Caucasus.

The charges and possible punishment

According to the FSB Directorate, the person involved publicly expressed support on social media for the 'Freedom of Russia Legion' (an organization banned in Russia) and the 'Russian Volunteer Corps' (designated a terrorist organization in Russia). His publications were sent for linguistic analysis, and experts found signs of justification of the activities of terrorist groups in them. According to Gazeta.Ru, the channel's author faces a penalty of up to seven years in prison.

Context

The news about the case came amid other events in the same week. On October 23, Rosfinmonitoring added Oleg Mikhailov, a former State Duma deputy from the Communist Party, to its list of terrorists and extremists; earlier, a court in Moscow had remanded him in custody in a case of justifying terrorism, and the charges concern public calls for terrorist activity using the internet. In addition, a bill was introduced to the State Duma to toughen penalties for calls for terrorism. The editorial team notes that all these facts come from a single source — Gazeta.Ru, which cites RIA Novosti materials and statements by the agencies; there is no independent confirmation or information about the identity of the person involved in the available publications.

Why it matters

The case against the author of 'Pepel' concerns the practice of criminal prosecution for posts on Telegram, which directly affects channel authors and their audiences. The facts cited indicate that even posts published from abroad can become grounds for a case in Russia, and that linguistic analysis is used as a key evidentiary tool. The specific timeline for the case's consideration and the identity of the person involved have not yet been disclosed.