The Perm businessman Leonid Melekhin was sentenced to six years in a case involving the justification of terrorism

About the sentence for Leonid Melekhin was reported by “Meduza”. The Perm businessman and activist was found guilty of justifying terrorism and given six years in prison.

According to the publication, the basis for the charges was an internet comment whose content is not disclosed, and a Telegram post. The publication included a photo of a poster with the inscription: “Putin V. V. murderer fascist usurper. All that is needed for the triumph of evil is the inaction of good people/fascist to the gallows”.

In 2024, Melekhin left for the United States and applied for political asylum there. He was sent to an immigration detention center, and in the summer of 2025 his asylum was denied.

After that, as Properm reported, Melekhin was deported from the United States. A court-appointed lawyer claimed that he returned to Russia as part of “self-deportation”, although he knew about the threat of a criminal case.

Sources

• Material: meduza.io