A Belgorod Resident Wrote About "bald Putin"

The man's messages were discovered by employees of Center "E."

A court in Russia fined a Belgorod resident 30,000 Russian rubles for comments about Vladimir Putin and the Russian military in a Telegram chat, according to “Pepel”. Grigory B., 47, called the president a “bald f**k” and his supporters “Putin’s f**k-suckers.” When asked about his attitude toward those participating in the war against Ukraine, the Belgorod resident stated that they are “victims of Putin’s regime.”

The man’s posts were discovered by officers from the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Countering Extremism (Center “E”), who filed reports against him for insulting a government official and “discrediting” the Russian army. In court, the Belgorod resident pleaded guilty but claimed that he “had no intention of discrediting” the Russian army and had written the comments while intoxicated.

He also asked to be allowed to pay the fine in installments due to his difficult financial situation, explaining that his only source of income is a disability pension of 19,000 rubles. The court granted the request, allowing him to settle his debt within three months.

The number of cases involving insults against Putin has risen sharply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to “Versta,” courts heard 33 such cases in 2021, and at least 84 in 2022. In 2023, the number dropped to 54, but in 2024 it rose again—to 91. In the first seven months of 2025, courts heard at least 35 such cases.

In all cases, the charges involved minor disorderly conduct (Article 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). Most of the reports were filed under Part 3 of this article, which allows for punishment for “disrespect” toward authorities on the internet. It was introduced in March 2019 at the initiative of “United Russia.”

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