On 28 December 2022, authorities in Rostov-on-Don opened a new criminal investigation against local journalist Sergey Reznik, who emigrated to Georgia earlier in the year. Prosecutors claim Reznik wrote a post in an anonymous Telegram channel with instructions on how to first kill members of military commissions, but later receive low prison sentences and avoid being conscripted. The journalist denies any involvement with the anonymous channel.
In previous cases, the journalist from Rostov-on-Don was accused of “rehabilitating Nazism”, “discrediting” the Russian army and extorsion. In March 2022, Sergey Reznik was arrested in absentia by a local court.
UPDATE: On 11 March 2026, a court in Rostov-on-Don found Reznik guilty of “discrediting the Russian army”, “rehabilitating Nazism”, extortion and public calls to ‘extremism’. The journalist was sentenced to 10 years of prison in absentia.