Court refuses to cancel fine imposed on journalist Totrov for discrediting army

The Supreme Court (SC) of North Ossetia has denied all the arguments of Ruslan Totrov's defence and upheld the court's ruling to fine him for discrediting the Russian Army.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 1, 2022, the Promyshlenny District Court of Vladikavkaz fined Ruslan Totrov after finding him guilty of discrediting Russian militaries; a similar decision was made under a different protocol on November 14, 2022. Totrov appealed against both fines.

In total, three protocols were drawn up against Totrov, which he has linked with his professional activities. After three administrative protocols, the risk of criminal prosecution of Totrov has increased, the lawyer has stated.

His defence claimed that he had exercised his constitutional right to express his opinion and was not in Russia at the time of the offense. The court has denied the argument that Totrov lives outside of Russia.

Totrov plans to continue challenging the court's rulings. He goes on publishing posts in social networks and runs his Telegram channel. The topics of his posts often concern South and North Ossetia; he also comments on the special military operations (SMO) in Ukraine and mobilization.