Andrey Melnikov

Affiliated media: Blogger

Incident date: March 21, 2023

Attack type:

• Search with a court decree

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: OVD-Info

Location: Russia, Krasnodar Krai, Anapa

Additional information:

On March 21, law enforcers searched the flat of blogger Andrey Melnikov in Anapa; he is currently overseas. The law enforcers did not provide his wife, Tatyana Peregudova, with documents. Still, they told her that her husband was being prosecuted under a criminal article on discrediting the Russian army (Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). In addition, there were three minor children at home during the search. The police threatened to take them away and charge her with «harbouring her husband». Peregudova was summoned for interrogation on March 23. In May 2022, Melnikov was fined under an administrative article on "discrediting" the Russian Armed Forces (20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) because of a YouTube video entitled "Is it possible to use weapons? Well, why not."