Overview
- Vyborgsky District Court ordered Nikolai Rybakov to pay 1,500 rubles under Article 20.3 for public display of extremist symbolism.
- The case concerns a February 16, 2024 post featuring Navalny’s portrait with condolences and a statement assigning responsibility for his death to the authorities.
- Rybakov pleaded not guilty, said Navalny’s photo is not on the official extremist materials list, and his lawyer argued he did not publish the post himself.
- His defense plans to appeal; if the decision takes legal effect, he would lose passive suffrage for one year and be unable to run in 2026 elections.
- Similar fines were recently imposed on St. Petersburg deputies Olga Shtannikova and Mikhail Amosov as courts treat Navalny imagery as linked to organizations designated extremist, including the Anti-Corruption Foundation and regional headquarters.