On August 25, blogger Arsen Markaryan was arrested in Moscow. According to the Investigative Committee, he is suspected of insulting the memory of defenders of the Fatherland online under Part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Russian Criminal Code. The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of 2 to 5 million rubles, or forced labor.
Investigators say that no later than February 25, 2025, Markaryan published a video containing insulting statements, after which he was placed on a wanted list. On August 23, he was detained in the Moscow region. The Interior Ministry said a car was stopped on Mozhayskoye Highway near Kubinka, and the accused was found in its trunk. Telegram channels Mash and Shot reported that the vehicle was headed toward Belarus.
Blogger Alex Leslie said the car was his and that he had been trying to take Markaryan out of Russia. According to him, security officers stopped the vehicle, while he himself was of no interest to them.
During questioning, Markaryan did not admit guilt. Investigators planned to ask Moscow’s Tagansky District Court to place him under arrest.
The 30-year-old Markaryan is mainly known for misogynistic statements. According to the publication, he has not lived in Russia for several years, but flew from Istanbul to Moscow to advertise his training courses. In July 2024, Yekaterina Mizulina said she would appeal to prosecutors after complaints about his posts concerning minors and violence against women.
In January 2025, the Moscow prosecutor’s office also initiated a criminal case against him for incitement to terrorism under Part 2 of Article 205.2. The trigger was an interview recorded in April 2024 with YouTuber Dmitry Larin, in which, among other things, Ukrainian drone attacks and donations to the Ukrainian armed forces were discussed.
After his detention, the case drew comment from public and political figures. Sergey Babinets, head of the Team Against Torture, said he received dozens of letters supporting Markaryan but noted there was no information indicating he had been tortured. Mediazona editor Yegor Skovoroda and politician Andrey Pivovarov criticized the use of imprisonment in such cases, while Ksenia Sobchak linked the state’s sharp response to the fact that the blogger had touched on historical memory and official symbols.