Former Ufa City Council candidate Denis Malyshev was fined for "discrediting the army."
The Oktyabrsky District Court of Ufa fined Denis Malyshev, a former city council candidate from the Civil Union movement, 30 rubles for "discrediting" the Russian army. The administrative charges stemmed from his comments on a messaging app. The opposition activist ultimately admitted his guilt and immediately paid the fine.
Speaking out in a closed chat and admitting guilt
An administrative report was filed against Denis Malyshev based on a message in one of the closed chats of the "Civil Union." Specifically, he used the expression "fuel for the fire of a criminal war," but did not specify which military personnel he was referring to. At the court hearing, the politician explained his position and decided not to challenge the report.
"I uttered these words without considering that they could be perceived as discrediting the Russian Armed Forces... Later, after carefully studying the text of the law, with which I personally disagree, I am forced to admit: under current legislation, my words fall under the elements of an offense under the aforementioned article. I understand and accept this," Malyshev said.
The former candidate also pointed out procedural violations during the consideration of his case and errors in the linguistic expert's report. However, he did not insist that these be taken into account. He stated that his desire to comply with the law prompted him to accept the court's decision.
"As an honest and law-abiding person, I have decided to admit what I have no doubt about: I am guilty under the current law. I repent of making such statements," Malyshev added.
Refusal of registration and pressure on candidates
Denis Malyshev was previously barred from running in the Ufa City Council elections. The electoral commission rejected the signatures collected in his support. As a result, the activist attempted to appeal the registration denial in court, but the court sided with the electoral commission.
However, cases of pressure on independent candidates have also been reported in other regions of the country. For example, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, a Yabloko State Duma candidate from Yakutia, faced obstacles today, receiving a warning for allegedly illegal campaigning immediately after registering.
