80-year-old pensioner Margarita Belykh from Primorsko-Akhtarsk has been ordered to pay Maksim Bondarenko, the head of the district, 1,500 rubles every month until July 2030. The case stemmed from her critical social media comments, including a remark saying the official “lies as naturally as he breathes.” The outlet Vetter reported the story after speaking with Belykh.
Belykh said she moved to Primorsko-Akhtarsk from Yakutia in 1998 and later served three terms as a city council deputy from A Just Russia. According to her, the conflict with Bondarenko began after his appointment in 2018. She claims the district head interfered in city budget and administration matters, while her inquiries about spending did not receive clear answers.
Among the examples she cited was expensive paving near the district administration building that was later, she said, taken to the grounds of wastewater treatment facilities, as well as the replacement of newly installed curbs with other new ones. She also focused on the installation of a Suvorov monument in front of the district administration. According to information she obtained through a deputy’s inquiry, 7.5 million rubles were spent on the 1.5-meter sculpture and another 15 million rubles on its installation. Belykh considered those costs excessive.
“You still have to live long enough to finish paying him,” Belykh told Vetter.
According to the Krasnodar Regional Court ruling, the case concerned comments posted in January and February 2024 in the public group “Podslushano Akhtari.” The court found that Belykh had spread information that was untrue and damaging to the honor, dignity, and professional reputation of the district head. A linguistic review also concluded that her statements contained insulting and demeaning assessments of the official’s character.
Belykh argued that her remarks were not factual assertions but figurative comparisons and stylistic devices. Nevertheless, on November 12, 2024, the court ordered her to delete the comments, publish a retraction, and pay Bondarenko 1,000 rubles in moral damages. An appeal did not change that outcome.
The official then filed a second lawsuit seeking 300,000 rubles in legal costs. On November 17, 2025, the court reduced that amount to 85,010 rubles. According to Belykh, the money will be withheld from her 30,000-ruble pension over 4 years and 9 months. She says the first 1,500 rubles were already deducted in November. Belykh also says she cannot continue appealing because she lacks money for court fees and regular trips to Krasnodar.