Russian-American Dual Citizen Arrested in St Petersburg for Allegedly Promoting Nazism
Russian-US dual national arrested in St Petersburg for allegedly showing disrespect towards the military on social media, leading to accusations of vindicating Nazism Smolninsky District Court issues a statement on the detainment
A Russian-US citizen was arrested in St. Petersburg for allegedly displaying disrespect towards the military and promoting Nazism in his social media posts, according to a statement from the Smolninsky District Court on Saturday. The court cited an incident where Yuri Malev posted an image of the St. George Ribbon, a symbol of Russian military honor, along with a caption containing vulgar language on the Russian social network Odnoklassniki on June 8, 2022.
Prior to Russia's Victory Day on May 8, Malev shared an image depicting "a corpse with instructions on wearing the St. Georges ribbon" which the court deemed as showing "clear disrespect" towards society and the military, and as an "insult to the memory" of World War II veterans.
Malev was detained and charged on December 8, the court statement said.
The court said Malev "partially admitted guilt" and will remain in custody until February 7.
Malev and his defense attorney have raised objections to the court's decision and have proposed alternative "preventive measures," such as house arrest or restrictions on certain activities, as per the court's statement.
The US State Department confirmed on Saturday that they are "aware of reports of the detention of a US Citizen in Russia," without disclosing the person's identity. When a US citizen is detained abroad, "the Department works to provide all appropriate assistance," it stated.
A number of Americans and individuals with dual citizenship are currently detained in Russia. Malev's arrest comes after the recent detention of another dual national with Russian and US citizenship. Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist and editor for the Tatar-Bashkir service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has been charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, as reported by the US-funded news organization.
Kurmasheva was detained by her employer in Kazan, Russia on June 2 while waiting for a return flight to the Czech Republic. She had traveled to Russia on May 20 for an urgent family matter, according to RFE/RL.
In a similar incident, Russia arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in March on accusations of attempting to obtain state secrets - a charge that Gershkovich, his employer, and the US government have vehemently denied.
