Konstantin Smirnov

According to the investigation, Smirnov, who was the editor-in-chief of the online media outlet Vid Sboku, conspired "with his acquaintance, a former journalist", Natalia Smolianinova, and in 2024 published several articles about the acting general director of a certain specialised commercial organisation operating in the Ryazan region, with disgraceful information about him, undermining his business reputation, detracting from his honour and dignity. After that, together with the accomplice, he organised a personal meeting with the acting general director and demanded money from him for stopping the outlet from posting negative articles about him, and the latter handed them 300,000 roubles. According to the court, Smirnov and Smolianinova extorted money from A.L. Rogotovskii, the acting general director of the specialised non-profit organisation Fund for Capital Repairs of Apartment Buildings in the Ryazan region, under the threat of disseminating disgraceful information about him through the online outlet Vid Sboku.