On 9 December 2022, officials with the Russian Investigative Committee in Elista, the capital of the southern Republic of Kalmykia, detained Valery Badmayev, editor-in-chief of the Sovremennaya Kalmykia newspaper. Authorities had earlier searched Badmayev’s home and seized his phone, laptop, router, and passport. The day after his arrest, Badmayev was charged with “discrediting” the Russian army and then released pending investigation. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison, according to Article 280.3 of the Russian criminal code. A court in Elista also banned Badmayev from leaving his home each day from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., using the internet, making phone calls, or changing his place of residence until February 8, 2023.
The journalist is accused of sharing a video on Vkontakte, a popular Russian social network, produced by Current Time TV (a project affiliated with RFE/RL, a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress). The video features an interview with a member of Ukraine’s Azov Battalion, in which the soldier accuses the Russian army of using phosphorus bombs in Ukraine.
Previously, in April, authorities fined Badmayev 35,000 rubles for allegedly discrediting the military in videos he posted condemning the war in Ukraine. Authorities in Elista had also earlier detained the journalist, sentencing him to 40 hours of compulsory labour for allegedly inciting people to participate in an unsanctioned protest in April 2021.
UPDATE: On 25 March 2023, restrictions on Badmayev’s activities were lightened, as a legal expertise commissioned by a court in Elista found no signs of “discreditation” of the Russian army in the video the journalist published in April 2022, which served as the basis of the accusation. As a result, Badmayev was again able to access the internet and use his phone, with the remaining limitation being a recognizance not to leave document signed by the journalist.
UPDATE: On October 6, a court in Elista refused to close the criminal case against Badmayev, with a new hearing planned for October 17, at which judges are set to examine whether the journalist did in fact “discredit” the Russian army in a social media post on the use of phosphorus bombs by the Russian army in Ukraine.
UPDATE: On November 13, a court in Elista fined Badmayev 150 thousand rubles on charges of “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian army. The court also banned the journalist from using social media for a period of two years. Badmayev’s lawyers said they would appeal the verdict.
UPDATE: On 13 February 2024, a court of appeals in Elista confirmed the sentence against Badmayev. However, according to the journalist, judges said it was unclear to them whether he would still be allowed to run the newspaper where he works as editor-in-chief, and that he should ask the court of first instance to explain this aspect of its verdict.