A court in Veliky Novgorod sentenced "We can explain" journalist Ilya Devlyachin in absentia to 450 hours of compulsory labor under the "foreign agency" clause. As reported by the Prosecutor's Office of the Novgorod Region, the verdict was issued by District Court No. 31 of the Novgorod Judicial District. "Taking into account the state attorney's position, he was sentenced to compulsory labor for a period of 450 hours while denying the right to engage in activities related to the management of electronic networks or information and communication, including the Internet, for a period of two years," the statement said. The court found that Devlyatchin "during the period from November 2024 to June 2025 was twice brought to administrative responsibility for violating the legislation on foreign agents" - Part 2 of Art. 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - and did not submit a report on his Internet activity to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. At the same time, in a press release from the prosecutor's office, the 37-year-old journalist, who was recognized as a "foreign agent" in 2023, is referred to as a "foreign citizen". But Devlyachin himself denied this information, saying that he never had any other citizenship than Russian. The verdict does not enter into legal force and can be appealed in accordance with the procedure established by law, the attorney's office added. Photo: Ilya Davlyachin's Instagram account Protect yourself and your loved ones from online tracking, buy ASTRA VPN or join a free proxy.

A court in Veliky Novgorod sentenced "We can explain" journalist Ilya Devlyachin in absentia to 450 hours of compulsory labor under the "foreign agency" clause. As reported by the Prosecutor's Office of the Novgorod Region, the verdict was issued by District Court No. 31 of the Novgorod Judicial District. "Taking into account the state attorney's position, he was sentenced to compulsory labor for a period of 450 hours while denying the right to engage in activities related to the management of electronic networks or information and communication, including the Internet, for a period of two years," the statement said. The court found that Devlyatchin "during the period from November 2024 to June 2025 was twice brought to administrative responsibility for violating the legislation on foreign agents" - Part 2 of Art. 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - and did not submit a report on his Internet activity to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. At the same time, in a press release from the prosecutor's office, the 37-year-old journalist, who was recognized as a "foreign agent" in 2023, is referred to as a "foreign citizen". But Devlyachin himself denied this information, saying that he never had any other citizenship than Russian. The verdict does not enter into legal force and can be appealed in accordance with the procedure established by law, the attorney's office added. Photo: Ilya Davlyachin's Instagram account Protect yourself and your loved ones from online tracking, buy ASTRA VPN or join a free proxy.