A 21-year-old resident named Igor Sh. was fined 1,000 rubles by the Shebekinsky court for sharing memes featuring symbols of the self-proclaimed "Belgorod People's Republic" (BPR), according to reports by the outlet "Ashes."
Journalists note that the Belgorod resident posted several BPR flags on Telegram in early April 2022, shortly after the war began. One image showed a blue-and-white flag bearing the Belgorod region's coat of arms superimposed on Ukraine's national emblem, while another displayed a "BPR flag" labeled "prapor."
The case came to police attention after Russia's Supreme Court designated both the "Forum of Free States of Post-Russia" and the fictional "BPR movement" – considered its affiliate – as terrorist organizations in late 2024.
Charged with "displaying extremist symbols," the Belgorod man received the fine after admitting guilt in court. He stated he'd been intrigued by the meme during the war's initial phase but forgot to remove the posts.
The BPR meme emerged following the war's outbreak, parodying the naming conventions of the so-called "LPR" and "DPR" by styling itself the "Belgorod People's Republic."