The lawyer explained Blinovskaya's decision to appeal the verdict.

Lawyer Alla Georgieva explained why blogger Elena Blinovskaya appealed the verdict, although she could have simply applied for release on parole.

In conversation with aif.ru On January 11, the expert explained that appealing the verdict means not agreeing to a guilty plea: in this case, the defense files a complaint demanding that the defendant be found innocent. If the outcome is positive, there is a right to compensation for the entire period of imprisonment. According to the expert, in practice such cases are rare, but the legislation provides for such an opportunity.

Also, according to Georgieva, the motive for the appeal may be the desire to mitigate the punishment — in particular, to achieve the cancellation or reduction of the fine of 950 thousand rubles, which Blinovskaya is obliged to pay by the decision of the Moscow City Court of appeal.

At the same time, the lawyer confirmed that, taking into account house arrest since April 2023 and detention in a pre-trial detention center since January 22, 2024, Blinovskaya has already served more than half of the appointed term and, if there are positive characteristics, she can apply for parole.

The specialist explained that in order to be released on parole, it is necessary to serve most of the sentence, which is calculated from the moment the preventive measure is chosen. At the same time, two days of house arrest are counted as one day in the colony. The criminal record remains after parole, and the released person will have to be regularly checked in and comply with the established regime — in case of violation, repeated imprisonment is possible.

Fragmentation and punishment: why Elena Blinovskaya received five years in a penal colony

She will be released in two years or even earlier.

On January 11, it became known that Blinovskaya's defense appealed the verdict for tax evasion in cassation. In December, Blinovskaya's father told Izvestia that his daughter was experiencing severe stress in the colony and had recently suffered an illness. Meanwhile, it was noted that the conditions of detention in the Blinovskaya colony are satisfactory, but everything is difficult with visits: relatives come every two months and communication takes place through glass using a phone. 360.ru .

Elena Blinovskaya was sentenced in March 2025. The court found her guilty of several charges related to tax crimes and money laundering, the website notes. kp.ru . The Savyolovsky District Court of the capital sentenced Blinovskaya to five years in prison, fined her 1 million rubles and banned her from doing business for four years, writes NSN.

In October 2025, the Moscow City Court commuted Blinovskaya's sentence, assigning 4.5 years in a penal colony and a fine of 950 thousand rubles. Life.ru . By that time, she had already served more than half of her sentence and was eligible to apply for parole immediately after the verdict came into force. The defense filed a cassation appeal in December 2025.

According to investigators, the blogger, using the scheme of "crushing" the business, underestimated the income received and did not pay VAT and personal income tax for the period 2019-2021. The amount amounted to 918 million rubles. The examination later established that the amount amounted to 906 million rubles, IA Regnum clarifies.

Blinovskaya is serving her sentence in IK-1 in the Vladimir region, RT reminds. The FSIN officially denied reports of a "privileged" detachment with facilitated conditions, noting that the detention of convicts complies with the law. At the same time, it is known that the colony has infrastructure for work, sports and leisure, and transfer to a unit with improved conditions is possible only on the basis of positive characteristics — it is not specified whether Blinovskaya is there.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.