The arrest of the creator of “Pre-Revolutionary Councilor” was extended until June 17

The Golovinsky Court of Moscow extended until June 17 the detention of the creator and leader of the art group “Pre-Revolutionary Councilor” Vyacheslav Malakhov, known under the creative pseudonym Valaar Morgulis. He is accused of repeatedly discrediting the Russian army.

As reported by the Sota publication, the defense requested to replace the preventive measure with house arrest, since Malakhov “has not been tried, has a letter of thanks from the Red Cross for helping children, a positive report from his last place of work, and also cannot hide abroad because of lack of a corresponding passport”.

Malakhov himself said during the court session that in the pretrial detention center his insomnia worsened and his health worsened, and in addition, it was difficult for him to establish contact with fellow inmates.

• The creator of “Pre-Revolutionary Councilor” was detained on January 31 in Moscow. His place of residence was searched, during which a phone, a laptop, a router and an external drive were seized. An anti-war post on Malakhov’s Telegram channel dated September 8, 2023 was the reason for the initiation of a criminal case for repeated discrediting of the army.
• In August of last year, Malakhov was already fined 30,000 rubles under an administrative article on discrediting the army due to publications on the VKontakte social network. Then he said that he was forcibly kept in a psychiatric hospital for three weeks, given injections and forced to drink unknown pills.
• In February of this year, “Memorial” recognized Malakhov as a political prisoner.