Starshinov Egor Alekseevich

On August 13, 2024, in Nizhny Novgorod, two 18-year-old young men, Kirill Smirnov and Egor Starshinov, were detained. Seizures were carried out at their homes, during which equipment was confiscated. Nizhny Novgorod residents were accused of spreading 'fakes' about the Russian army, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy. The reason for the criminal prosecution was a video of a kitchen conversation. According to the investigation, in the fall of 2023, 11th-grade students Kirill and Yegor recorded a video "about the actions of the RF Armed Forces against the peaceful population of Ukraine" against the backdrop of portraits of Putin and Hitler after a history lesson and posted it on a Telegram channel with 26 subscribers. Someone sent this video to the school's email. The director of Nizhny Novgorod Lyceum No. 82, where the Nizhny Novgorod residents studied, Nina Govorova first called the parents of the students to the school, and then wrote a denunciation against them to the Investigative Committee. Schoolchildren were held accountable in a case of an administrative offense under the article on "discrediting" the army. Later, law enforcement sent the video for linguistic examination, which revealed that "the disseminated information is knowingly false. On August 12, 2024, a criminal case was opened against the teenagers for 'fakes'." 2. Before the election of a preventive measure, the young people were placed in a temporary detention center. On 15 August 2024, the Sormovsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod imposed a measure of restriction on certain actions on the young men. The court prohibited Kirill and Yegor from communicating with each other, leaving their place of residence from 10 PM to 6 AM, using the internet, visiting places of mass events, and using any means of communication except for emergency services. On April 10, 2025, the Sormovsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod found Kirill Smirnov and Egor Starshinov guilty and sentenced both to 2.5 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. The young men were taken into custody in the courtroom. On July 17, 2025, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court left the verdict unchanged.