On 16 January 2025, independent online media outlet Groza reported that authorities in the Russian region of Tatarstan had opened a criminal case against the outlet’s editor-in-chief Leonid Spirin, on charges of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian army.
According to Groza, Spirin was charged for a publication in which he referred to the Ukrainian city of Luhansk as “occupied by the Russian army”. According to Russian investigators, by using this term Spirin showed a “negative attitude” towards the Russian army. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.
Groza also reported, quoting Spirin’s lawyers, that the journalist had been placed on Russia’s ‘wanted’ list. The editor-in-chief of the outlet, which publishes mainly for the Russian university student community, currently lives abroad.
Spirin was previously fined 30 thousand rubles for allegedly “discrediting” the Russian army (see separate alert).
UPDATE: On 25 March 2025, Russian independent media confirmed that Spirin had been placed on Russia’s ‘wanted’ list.