The lawyer spoke about the possible release of Lercek from punishment due to cancer.

Blogger Lerchek (real name Valeria Chekalina), who has been placed under house arrest, may be released from punishment due to fourth-degree cancer. Lawyer Maxim Blinov told Izvestia about this on March 11.

"She can avoid punishment directly due to the fact that she will have the same kind of illness, with which she will not be able to be isolated from society," Blinov said.

According to the lawyer, the court passes a verdict in any case, but if there are certain medical penalties, the defendant may be released from punishment.

In addition, he added that if there are complaints, the refusal of a medical examination can be challenged. In addition, as the lawyer noted, the court may change the measure of restraint upon confirmation of the diagnosis.

As lawyer Roman Frantsev clarified in a conversation with Izvestia, the defense has the right to request a change in the preventive measure until the Lercek case is completed. He added that the person against whom the preventive measure was chosen was not yet convicted, so the court could make a different decision if there were grounds.

"When it comes to the mother's health and the tax crime, I think that the court will still meet the defense side halfway. I do not exclude that the prosecutor may also support the request to change the preventive measure," Frantsev said.

Earlier, on March 11, it became known that Chekalina had started treatment at the state cancer center. The child's father, Luis Squicciarini, announced on March 8 that she had cancer cells and metastases in her lungs. In addition, she underwent spinal surgery due to the destruction of several vertebrae.

On December 1, Lercek pleaded not guilty to withdrawing funds abroad and noted that she did not understand the essence of the charges. In turn, ex-husband Artem Chekalin admitted that he was guilty of committing a tax crime, but had nothing to do with the withdrawal of funds from Russia.

On November 24, 2025, the Gagarin Court of Moscow extended the house arrest of both Chekalina and her ex-husband for six months. At the same time, Lercek confirmed her pregnancy and named the father of the child. It turned out to be Squicciarini. In addition, the blogger is raising three children with her ex-husband.

The criminal case against Chekalina and her ex-husband was initiated in October 2024. They, along with an accomplice, were suspected of illegally withdrawing more than 250 million rubles from Russia to Dubai using forged documents (art. 193.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

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