Valery Badmaev
Valery Badmaev, born 1951, Kalmykia. Charges: Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries); “Valery Badmaev's case of repeated discrediting of the RF Armed Forces”. Sentence (November 13, 2023): A fine of 150,000 roubles, a ban on publishing materials on the Internet and publishing a newspaper for a period of 2… Status: at large.
In brief
Kalmykia · Elista · Journalists · Anti-war cases
Sentence
A fine of 150,000 roubles, a ban on publishing materials on the Internet and publishing a newspaper for a period of 2 years
Upheld February 13, 2024
Charges
- Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries
Full wording of the charges
A criminal case was initiated over a video about the events in Mariupol. According to the investigation, the journalist reposted a video on VKontakte with a story by a fighter of the Azov battalion saying that the Russian army had used phosphorus bombs against the defenders of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Earlier Badmaev was fined 35,000 rubles under a similar administrative article (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) because of the publication of a video on VKontakte entitled "Stop the war with Ukraine and Putin should resign! Opinion of public figure Badmaev V.A.". In March 2023, it became known that the expert examination did not find any signs of defamation in the video with the story of "Azov".
Latest event
February 1, 2026 — imprisonment ends
Timeline
· Imprisonment ends
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict
· Persecution begins
Valery Badmaev's case of repeated discrediting of the RF Armed Forces
Criminal case
Valery Badmaev's case of repeated discrediting of the RF Armed Forces
- Case number
- 1-392/2023
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Details and sources
Full summary
Editor-in-chief of "Sovremennaya Kalmykiya" (Modern Kalmykiya) newspaper, human rights defender.
A case was brought against Badmaev for discrediting the use of the Russian Armed Forces. The prosecutor's office refused to approve the indictment in the case twice, but eventually the case did go to court. On November 13, 2023, Badmaev was sentenced to a fine of 150 thousand rubles.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.