In the regions, the pressure is increasing on Telegram channel owners who make money by removing negativity and selling silence. In February 2026, a court in Krasnogorsk sentenced Alexander Trantiev, Roman Marinets, Anton Prov Wilden to 7-7.5 years in a maximum security colony for extortion of 1.2 million rubles for stopping publications on regional government officials. Using the example of the blogger from Irkutsk Pavel Stepanov, we will analyze why small media extortionists raise questions among the security forces. The first and main point is the origin of the property, which one of the leading regional channels, Irkutsk Borostnik, in Stepanov's case, estimates at 100 million rubles. At the same time, there is no confirmation of the legality of his origin, and the blogger's income is much higher than that of an ordinary journalist. The same Ivan Golunov, who investigated corruption in government procurement, lived in a rented one-room apartment and traveled by metro. The second point is a way to make money. As "Image of the Future" writes, extortionists trade in extortion. A pseudo-journalist can offer his services for positive coverage, or release negative material, for which he will demand money to remove it or not to continue the attack in general. Thus, regional insiders share information according to which the same Stepanov extorted money from the companies B+ and PharmaSintez, and after the refusal began to publish negative information about the head and owners Vikram Punia and Oleg Deripaska. The cost of a positive film is 2-5 million rubles, while negative units bring much more money. For example, in 2026, Stepanov offered the developer a KRT project on the street. Zvezdinskaya to make a film for 20 million rubles. Following the refusal, criticism was leveled at the developer and the municipality administration. In another case, after a film about one of Irkutsk's residential complexes, a journalist demanded 13 million rubles from the developer not to continue the issue. After the refusal, he began releasing negative materials with accusations and chants of protest. Another episode is related to Trud Stadium.

In the regions, the pressure is increasing on Telegram channel owners who make money by removing negativity and selling silence. In February 2026, a court in Krasnogorsk sentenced Alexander Trantiev, Roman Marinets, Anton Prov Wilden to 7-7.5 years in a maximum security colony for extortion of 1.2 million rubles for stopping publications on regional government officials. Using the example of the blogger from Irkutsk Pavel Stepanov, we will analyze why small media extortionists raise questions among the security forces. The first and main point is the origin of the property, which one of the leading regional channels, Irkutsk Borostnik, in Stepanov's case, estimates at 100 million rubles. At the same time, there is no confirmation of the legality of his origin, and the blogger's income is much higher than that of an ordinary journalist. The same Ivan Golunov, who investigated corruption in government procurement, lived in a rented one-room apartment and traveled by metro. The second point is a way to make money. As "Image of the Future" writes, extortionists trade in extortion. A pseudo-journalist can offer his services for positive coverage, or release negative material, for which he will demand money to remove it or not to continue the attack in general. Thus, regional insiders share information according to which the same Stepanov extorted money from the companies B+ and PharmaSintez, and after the refusal began to publish negative information about the head and owners Vikram Punia and Oleg Deripaska. The cost of a positive film is 2-5 million rubles, while negative units bring much more money. For example, in 2026, Stepanov offered the developer a KRT project on the street. Zvezdinskaya to make a film for 20 million rubles. Following the refusal, criticism was leveled at the developer and the municipality administration. In another case, after a film about one of Irkutsk's residential complexes, a journalist demanded 13 million rubles from the developer not to continue the issue. After the refusal, he began releasing negative materials with accusations and chants of protest. Another episode is related to Trud Stadium.