Mekhedova Mariya Konstantinovna

In late May 2023, paediatrician Maria Mekhedova from Blagoveshchensk was visited by officials for a 'premises inspection'. Maria and her husband had their phones confiscated for inspection as part of a criminal case. The reason for the criminal prosecution was a series of comments, as well as the management of a certain Instagram account, the publications of which, in the opinion of the FSB, discredit" the army. Less than a month later, it became known that a criminal case had been opened against Mekhedova under the article on justifying terrorism. According to law enforcement, the girl wrote on Instagram about Vladlen Tatarsky's death: "I never thought I would ever be happy about this." "Forgive me, Lord, for this." On June 28, 2023, the Blagoveshchensk City Court of the Amur Region placed Mekhedova under house arrest, but in September of the same year she was allowed to go to work and pick up her son from school. The expert who conducted the examination of Mehedova's comments acknowledged that they cannot be described as justifying terrorism. Based on this conclusion, Mehedova's lawyer submitted a motion to terminate the case. The next day, the investigator forbade her to go to work, and when asked to explain the reason, he began to threaten her with a remand prison. Later, the charges against Mekhedova were toughened - the article on repeated "discreditation" of the Russian army was added. Earlier, in 2022, the woman was fined under an administrative offense case under the article on "discrediting" the Russian army - allegedly she left a comment under a post by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "Well done, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they are protecting their territories, everything captured should rightfully return to them. They are protecting their homeland. On October 1, 2024, the 1st Eastern Military District Court found Maria Mekhedova guilty. Unknown verdict, but most likely the court imposed a fine on her. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force.