Mikhail Romanov
Mikhail Romanov, born 1975, Zabaykalsky Krai. Charges: Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries); “The case of repeated discrediting of the Armed Forces, incitement to hatred, and calls to extremism in Chita”. Sentence (June 29, 2023): 2 years' suspended sentence with a probation period of 2 years`. Status: at large.
In brief
Zabaykalsky Krai · Chita · Anti-war cases
Sentence
2 years
suspended sentence with a probation period of 2 years`
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
In July 2022, Romanov was fined for 30,000 rubles under the administrative article on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) because of a comment on VKontakte: "What a disgrace, to be proud that you are an occupier, that you invaded a foreign country to destroy cities and kill people, to carry out criminal orders...". Then he explained that he did not have access to the Internet and did not write this comment, and his page was hacked, but the court still imposed a fine on him.
Latest event
October 20, 2026 — case status changed
Timeline
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Persecution ends
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 2 years
Criminal case
The case of repeated discrediting of the Armed Forces, incitement to hatred, and calls to extremism in Chita
- Case number
- 1-348/2023
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Details and sources
Full summary
A resident of Chita. A case was brought against him for discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation, incitement to hatred and calls to extremism. On 29 June 2023, Romanov was sentenced to two-year suspended sentence with a probation period of two years.
On 29 October 2025, Romanov was included in the The Federal Financial Monitoring Service list of extremists and terrorists, with a marking that is placed with the names of those prosecuted under terrorist articles. Court records show that at that time he was in a pre-trial detention centre. A case of calls to terrorism was opened against Romanov. According to the law enforcers, he called for the violent alteration of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation in one of the social networks.
On 25 December, the court sentenced Romanov to five years in a general regime penal colony.
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.