For the first time in Russia, a person has been fined for liking videos on YouTube. Pensioner Vasily Yovdi, who lives in the Murmansk region, was fined 30,000 rubles (about $330) for positively responding to posts by individuals known to be foreign agents.
According to the report, Vasily Yovdi, a Ukrainian citizen with a residence permit in Russia, liked a video about a terrorist attack on YouTube. The video was shared by a person included in the register of foreign agents of the Russian Ministry of Justice.
The court decision states that the “likes” in question were discovered during a check by the FSB Border Service in the village of Alakurtti in the Murmansk region. The court considered these actions to be “public in nature,” despite the fact that the “likes” on YouTube were not visible to other users.
The Kovdor District Court found the pensioner guilty of “public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Russian Armed Forces.” Although the court assessed his actions as “high public danger,” the sentence was based on his confession of guilt, remorse, lack of dependents, and lack of previous administrative convictions.
As a result, Vasily Yovdi was fined 30,000 rubles (approximately $330).
