The Oktyabrsky District Court of Yekaterinburg fined the former mayor of the city Yevgeny Roizman 260 thousand rubles in the case of “discrediting” the Russian army (Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code). The state prosecution asked for such a fine, and also demanded that Roizman be left with a preventive measure in the form of a ban on certain actions until the verdict comes into force.
On the day of the verdict, Roizman's lawyer asked the court to add sureties provided by prominent Russians to the case. Among them are the singer Alla Pugacheva, the widow of ex-president Boris Yeltsin Naina, the Yekaterinburg playwright Nikolai Kolyada, the former editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy Alexei Venediktov and others. Pugacheva's appeal was not accepted by the court, since it "is not procedural and is not being investigated." Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta and Nobel Peace Prize winner, came to support Roizman.
Roizman was detained as part of a criminal case on “discrediting the Russian army” in August 2022. The reason for the persecution was his live broadcast on YouTube, dedicated to the war in Ukraine. As a preventive measure, the former mayor of Yekaterinburg was banned from certain actions: he was forbidden to visit public places and use any means of communication.
For Roizman, this is the fourth fine for "discrediting" the Russian army. The first three were appointed under the administrative article (20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) for a total amount of 150 thousand rubles in 2022.