Vitushkin Dmitriy Aleksandrovich

On October 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, a search was conducted at the home of journalist and local historian Dmitry Vitushkin. He was accused of disseminating knowingly false information on the Internet about the activities of the USSR during World War II and insulting the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland. The reason for the criminal prosecution was a post in the "Ingermanland" group on VKontakte, in which the discrediting of the liberation of Leningrad from the blockade and the falsification of historical facts were seen. According to the investigation, Vitushkin allegedly "placed comments with text rehabilitating Nazism, which constitute a denial and falsification of historical facts established by the International Tribunal in Nuremberg, in a community of one of the social networks that he administered," as well as "posted comments discrediting the liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade." The next day, on October 13, the Oktyabrsky District Court of St. Petersburg sent Vitushkin into custody. On April 10, 2024, the Oktyabrsky Court of St. Petersburg mitigated the preventive measure for the journalist and appointed him a ban on certain actions: Vitushkin was prohibited from using communication. On June 25, 2025, the St. Petersburg City Court found Dmitry Vitushkin guilty and sentenced him to 1 year in a penal colony-settlement and a 3-year ban on administering websites on the Internet.