Schepikhin’s case classified under articles on kidnapping and abuse of power
The Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation reports about the institution of a criminal case after the incident with a blogger at the Yaroslavsky Railway Station, announcing the detention of “all the suspects involved in the case.” Only three out of the six suspects have been detained pending trial to determine the pre-trial restriction measure, sources in the law enforcement bodies report.
On the evening of June 4, the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) reported that a criminal case had been instituted in connection with the incident at the Yaroslavsky Railway Station. “We have received materials from an investigation into the illegal actions of a group of people against a man near the Yaroslavsky Station in Moscow,” the ICRF’s official Telegram channel reports.
“All the suspects involved in the case” were taken to the ICRF’s Department for Moscow and will be detained; forensic experts are examining the mobile devices and a car seized from the suspects, investigators report. Later, the press service for the ICRF’s Department for Moscow also added that a report on the progress of the investigation into the case would be submitted to the central office of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation. However, neither the first nor the second of the ICRF’s reports in the case mention the specific articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation under which the criminal case has been instituted.
A criminal case following the incident with the blogger at the Yaroslavsky Railway Station has been instituted under articles on kidnapping and abuse of office (Articles 126 and 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), the RIA “Novosti” news agency reports with reference to a source in the law enforcement bodies.
Although the investigators have officially announced the detention of “all” suspects in the case, the sources claim otherwise. “Three suspects have been detained pending the selection of the pre-trial restriction measure,” the TASS quoted a source in the security agencies as saying. The video of the incident shows that at least four men were carrying Areg Schepikhin out of the railway station building.
Out of the six detainees, three “showed IDs of inspectors of the “Rosgvardiya” (National Guard of Russia) Department for Chechnya, and three other detainees turned out to be civilians,” the “Kommersant” reports in turn.
The entries posted on the Internet by blogger Areg Schepikhin, including offensive words about Muslims and residents of Chechnya and Dagestan, can be classified under four articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and the blogger faces punishment of at least three years of imprisonment, experts interviewed by the “Caucasian Knot” emphasize.
This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 4, 2025 at 10:58 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.