Sonin Konstantin Isaakovich

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in March 2023 opened a criminal case on the dissemination of "fakes" about the Russian army on the grounds of political hatred against the economist, professor at the University of Chicago and former vice-rector of the Higher School of Economics Konstantin Sonin." The reason for the criminal prosecution was three posts in the Telegram channel "Konstantin Sonin" about the actions of Russian troops in Ukraine, published from April to July 2022. In May 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs put Konstantin Sonin on the wanted list. On February 20, 2024, the Gagarin District Court of Moscow placed Sonin under house arrest in absentia. Arrest period will be calculated from the moment of his extradition or deportation to the territory of the Russian Federation, or from the moment of actual detention on the territory of the Russian Federation. On 23 May 2024, the Gagarin District Court of Moscow found Konstantin Sonin guilty and sentenced him in absentia to 8.5 years in a general regime penal colony. The court also deprived Sonin of the right to engage in activities related to administering websites on the Internet for a period of 4 years and 6 months.