On 1 December 2022, Kavkaz.Realii, a regional service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster RFE/RL, reported that Ruslan Totrov, a journalist from North Ossetia, had been fined 50,000 rubles for allegedly “discrediting” the Russian army. This was the second time a court fined the journalist under this accusation: according to Totrov, who now lives abroad, authorities could also now requalify the case against him from administrative to criminal, given that this is his second fine for “discreditation” of the army within a year.
Ruslan Totrov said the court’s new decision was an “absolute calque” of his earlier case, and that both were “illegal and unconstitutional”. It was unclear which publications by the journalist led to his new accusation. Ruslan Totrov was known for providing comments to “Ekho Kavkaza”, a Russian regional news portal, as well as to The New York Times.
UPDATE: On 16 February 2023, the Supreme Court of Northern Ossetia confirmed the verdict and the 50,000 ruble fine against Totrov.
UPDATE: On 29 July 2024, Russian independent media reported that Totrov had been placed on Russia’s ‘wanted’ list, and that he had also been added to Russia’s list of “terrorists and extremists”. The decisions mean that authorities likely opened a criminal case against the journalist after his second fining, however no information is available as to what Totrov is accused of.