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Murmansk Court Fines 72-Year-Old for YouTube 'Likes' Under Russia's Army 'Discreditation' Law

The case signals a new reach of wartime speech enforcement into private online reactions.

Overview

  • Kovdor District Court ordered a 30,000-ruble penalty against Vasiliy Yovdiy for “reactions in the form of likes” on YouTube.
  • FSB border authorities initiated the case and prepared the protocol after flagging the account activity.
  • Court materials reference videos by authors labeled as “foreign agents,” including one about the 2024 killing of General Igor Kirillov.
  • Journalists note likes on YouTube are typically visible only to the account owner, yet the court deemed Yovdiy’s actions public.
  • Legal commentators and the outlet Vyorstka report this may be the first known fine in Russia issued specifically for likes.