The Central District Military Court found Rustam Absalyamov, a resident of Sterlitamak, guilty of "calls for terrorism via the internet" and sentenced him to three years in a penal colony, reported the telegram channel "Operational Reports" associated with law enforcement. In addition, Absalyamov is prohibited from engaging in activities related to website and internet channel administration for two years.
The reason for the criminal case was a blogger's stream in March last year, during which he stated that mourning for those killed at "Crocus City Hall" does not concern Bashkortostan, noting that Moscow is not needed by the republic at all and it can be "blown up".
According to "OVD-Info"*, on March 26, 2024, excerpts from the stream appeared on Ekaterina Mizulina's telegram channel, who stated that she would contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a request to conduct an investigation.
The day after Mizulina's post appeared, Absalyamov himself went to the main police department of Sterlitamak "to sort out the situation." Employees of Center "E" conducted an interrogation, during which they recorded several apology videos from Absalyamov, which were then posted on the official channels of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB. However, a criminal case was still initiated, and on March 29, he was sent to a pre-trial detention center, first in Sterlitamak, then transferred to Yekaterinburg.
* Recognized as a "foreign agent" in Russia.