The prosecution's case rested on 130 "stars" that Antonovich attached to posts in the Telegram channels NEVZOROV, BEREZOVIEW (Taras Berezovets) WAR IN UKRAINE, Nakipelo. Michael Naki and Sasha Shpak Official. The reactions totaled 292.99 rubles. The case was heard behind closed doors, and Judge Dmitry Zhivayev delivered the verdict.
The largest single payment — 30 "stars" worth 55.4 rubles — went to a post on the BEREZOVIEW channel about an attack on a Russian ammunition and fuel and lubricants depot on the Kinburn Spit in the Black Sea. Another 22 "stars," worth 41 rubles 58 kopecks, went to a post by Michael Naki in which the blogger advised subscribers to disable certain options so that other users could not see who had sent paid reactions.
According to the Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial project, the reactions were placed on posts about news, VPNs and recommendations for the safe use of Telegram's paid features. As of January 1, 2026, Michael Naki disabled "stars" in his channel.
The prosecution claims the listed channels carry out "propaganda of terrorism and media support for the terrorist organizations Legion of Freedom of Russia, RDK and Azov," including fundraising for weapons and drone strikes on Russian territory. On that basis, security services classified the paid reactions as terrorism financing under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code.
A separate charge concerned a message Antonovich sent to Michael Naki on November 19, 2025. In it, he wrote that mobile internet had gone down completely in central Tyumen that morning and that VPN and Tor were not helping. The investigation concluded that this information about communications operations "could be used to the detriment of the security of the Russian Federation," although local media had reported mobile internet disruptions in central Tyumen since the summer of 2025.
Antonovich was detained by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers on December 18, 2025, and video of the detention was published. Eight years in a strict-regime colony is the minimum sentence under the article he was charged with.
A day earlier, the human rights project Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial published an open letter to Telegram founder Pavel Durov asking him to make paid reactions anonymous by default. Rights advocates note that Russian security services use them as grounds to prosecute users under the terrorism financing article.