Alan Baidanov
Alan Baidanov, Altai Republic. Charges: Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries); “Altai resident's case of discreditating the Russian Armed Forces”. Sentence (February 2, 2026): sentence unknown. Status: location unknown.
In brief
Altai Republic · Entrepreneurs · Anti-war cases
Sentence
sentence unknown
No information about an appeal ruling.
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
According to the investigation, he published a video discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In February 2024, Baidanov was fined 30,000 rubles under the administrative article on discrediting the army (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) for a voice message in the Altai language in which an expert, a “candidate of philosophical sciences and an associate professor of the Department of Law, Philosophy and Sociology”, found distortion of information “about the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the territory of Ukraine”, description of the special military operation “as some kind of a deliberately false manipulation” aimed at a genocide of the peoples of Russia and expressions of doubt in relation to the “pro-Russian orientation of the special military operation”.
Latest event
February 2, 2026 — first-instance verdict
The court issued a ruling.
Timeline
· First-instance verdict
· Persecution begins
Altai resident's case of discreditating the Russian Armed Forces
Criminal case
Altai resident's case of discreditating the Russian Armed Forces
- Case number
- 1-78/2025
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Details and sources
Full summary
A resident of the Altai Republic. A case was opened against him for discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In October 2025, the "Operativnye svodki" telegram channel published a video of the man's arrest: first, several armed men burst into a small house and pinned the man to the floor, then told him to get up and come to the sofa, then the man was led into an administrative building, after which the man with a blurred face said that he had published a video discrediting the army, which he repented for. At the end of the video the man asks, looking, judging by the position of his head, into the frame: "And what is this video for? For the Internet?"? This is followed by credits and music from the TV series "Curb Your Enthusiasm", regularly used on social networks to emphasise the awkwardness or ridiculousness of the moment. It is not known whether Baidanov is actually in the video, but based on the time of publication and the time the case came to court, we can assume that he is. The case came to court in December 2025. Baidanov was sentenced on 2 February 2026, details are unknown.
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.