Lawyers comment on case of Vanyan, accused of discrediting Russian Army

Vladimir Vanyan, an athlete from Krasnodar, was groundlessly accused of discrediting the Russian Army: his actions should have been interpreted only as petty hooliganism.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on March 27, a court found Vladimir Vanyan guilty under administrative articles on petty hooliganism and discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and fined him 50,000 roubles and 100,000 roubles. During a live broadcast, the blogger used foul language about participants of the special military operation (SMO) and FSB officers. At trial, Vladimir Vanyan admitted his guilt and apologized.

After his detention, the powerlifter stated that he “will serve with weapons in his hands in the SMO.”

Advocate Abusupyan Gaitaev considered the accusation against Vladimir Vanyan of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces absurd. “In general, this is just a drunken prank, petty hooliganism,” Abusupyan Gaitaev explained.

According to the advocate’s version, Vladimir Vanyan was detained in a too harsh manner. “However, the fact that he uses foul language in a public place is, of course, a violation,” Abusupyan Gaitaev noted.

Advocate Timofei Shirokov has pointed out that the laws allow for free interpretation. “New laws on discrediting the Russian Army have been adopted, creating such restrictions that there is no escape. The situation is formally legal, and the FSB falls under these criteria in the new legislative norms,” the advocate explained.

The court sentenced Vladimir Vanyan to thirteen days of arrest, finding him guilty of failure to obey police inspectors. According to the court’s information, when police inspectors came to Vladimir Vanyan, he refused to show his identity document, “started screaming, and tried to escape, ignoring the police’s demands.”