A court in Russia’s Murmansk region has convicted Ukrainian citizen and retiree Vasily Yovdiy of “discrediting” the Russian armed forces for clicking “like” on YouTube videos, according to a court ruling. It is likely the first conviction over YouTube likes. Yovdiy was fined 30,000 rubles. The Telegram channel “Vyorstka” drew attention to the verdict.
According to the court order, Yovdiy used his personal mobile phone to log into YouTube and hit “like” under several videos, including content from authors officially labeled “foreign agents.” He also liked a video about the reported death in December 2024 of General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops. The document does not disclose specific video titles.
The case began after the FSB’s border directorate in the village of Alakurtti conducted a check. Investigators seized Yovdiy’s smartphone and examined its contents, finding his YouTube account with 139 videos in the “liked” section. The court deemed his actions public, even though a user’s list of liked videos on YouTube is visible only to the account owner and hidden from other users. “Vyorstka” notes there had been no prior recorded cases of penalties for YouTube likes under the “discreditation” statute.
Evgeny Smirnov, a lawyer with the First Department project, told “Vyorstka” he had not previously encountered a similar case. He pointed out that, unlike other proceedings under the article on “discrediting” the armed forces, the judge did not analyze which specific signs of “discreditation” were present, instead concluding that content posted by a “foreign agent” automatically constitutes “discreditation,” and a like signifies agreement with it.
Separately, on February 9, the Leninsky District Court of Samara fined retiree Grigory Yeremeyev 30,000 rubles in an administrative case over “discrediting” the army. On December 23, Yeremeyev spoke at a session of the Samara Regional Duma, declaring the “failure of the special military operation” and saying Vladimir Putin is unable to end the war.
