The call to record an appeal to Bastrykin regarding the gasoline situation in Volgograd resulted in a fine.

Calls for an unauthorized rally were recognized as a message on social media about recording an appeal to Bastrykin at a gas station in Volgograd. Activist Natalia Kuzmina was fined 20,000 rubles, and she intends to appeal this decision.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 31, law enforcement detained activist Natalia Kuzmina in the building of the Volgograd Regional Court, who had previously suggested that local activists record a video appeal to the head of the Investigative Committee due to the gasoline problem.

This morning, Natalia Kuzmina was detained at the threshold of a school in the center of Volgograd and then taken to the Central District Court, the publication V1 reported.

"I had three witnesses who confirmed my words. They saw that the filming was done on a phone camera with a request for help with the problems faced by residents at the gas station. In particular, it was about fuel cards. As a mother, I am being asked to stand in line at night. How do you imagine that? Leaving small children at home alone? I didn't just decide to raise the relevant issue of gasoline. My children go to school in the first and second shifts, four clubs three times a week. I raise them alone. A car is my best helper. It's a big blow when you are accused of something you didn't do," she said.

Analysis of the organizer's correspondence — Natalia Kuzmina — on social media showed the presence of an open call "for everyone to come," addressed to an indefinite circle of persons.

The court found Kuzmina guilty and fined her 20,000 rubles under part 2 of Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, the press service of the Volgograd Regional Court reported today.

"The court established that Natalia Kuzmina's arguments that her actions were merely an attempt to record a personal video appeal to an official were not confirmed. The court pointed out the differences between exercising the right to appeal to government bodies and organizing a mass event: Unlike individual video content creation, in this case, there was a mass gathering of citizens in a public place. Analysis of the organizer's correspondence — Natalia Kuzmina — on social media showed the presence of an open call 'for everyone to come,' addressed to an indefinite circle of persons. The desire to record a video appeal does not require the mandatory physical simultaneous presence of a group of people on the roadway, squares, or parking lots," the court's website stated.

This is the third time a person is detained for the same case. Right near the school where she brought her son, a first-grader.

According to the court's press service, "if a citizen calls a group of people to go out into the street to express an opinion together, they must comply with the notification procedure for the authorities in accordance with Federal Law No. 54-FZ. Attempting to disguise an unauthorized mass action as 'recording an appeal' is evading compliance with the law's requirements."

Earlier, on August 31, Kuzmina was released due to incomplete documentation, RusNews writes.

Volgograd activists were outraged by her persecution.

"This is the third time a person is detained for the same case. Right near the school where she brought her son, a first-grader. Her other son was at judo," "Cautiously, News" quotes the words of Kuzmina's acquaintances.

"I assume she will be fined, and subsequently, she will not have the opportunity to run for the Public Chamber, which all public activists want," V1 quotes local activist Sergey Ostrovsky.

Kuzmina reported that she intends to appeal the fine decision.

Recall that on July 16, police detained five people at a gas station in Volgograd who were trying to record a video appeal to Alexander Bastrykin regarding the gasoline situation. Lawyer Alexey Sevastyanov was arrested by the court the next day for five days.

On July 25, Sevastyanov stated that the attempt to record an appeal led to an improvement in the fuel situation in the Volgograd region. Drivers surveyed by "Caucasian Knot" confirmed that there were practically no queues at gas stations.

Natalia Kuzmina has repeatedly participated in protest actions in Volgograd. In May 2024, she sought to hold a protest against the construction along the Volga River. After the authorities refused, Kuzmina appealed it, and on July 31, 2024, the Volgograd Regional Court recognized the mayor's refusal to approve the rally as illegal. On June 15, 2025, Kuzmina spoke at an approved rally in the "Rus" park against the construction in the water protection zone along the Volga. Participants of the action recorded appeals to Vladimir Putin and Alexander Bastrykin.