A resident of Saint Petersburg was fined for “discrediting” the army in a video call on WhatsApp. His interlocutor reported him.
The court fined Denis Timofeev 30,000 rubles for “discrediting” the army in public during a video call on WhatsApp. The decision was pronounced in March.
The video call took place on the evening of December 31, 2025. According to the police, Timofeev was intoxicated and made several “destructive and defamatory” statements against the Russian army, writes Meduza. His interlocutor recorded the conversation and handed it over to the police.
In court, Timofeev’s lawyer stated that it was a private conversation, which was not intended to be made public. The judge did not agree with this argument, stating that the man spoke via video link, “having the ability to address an unlimited number of people.”