The Court of Appeal upheld the sentence of 4.5 years in prison for blogger Markaryan.

The First Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction upheld the 4.5-year prison sentence for blogger Arsen Markarian in the case of the rehabilitation of Nazism. This was reported on June 10 by a correspondent of Izvestia from the courtroom.

On March 25, the prosecutor's office filed an appeal against the court's decision. The Agency requested that the sentence be changed due to its leniency. In addition, the prosecutors requested that the commission of crimes by Markarian during the period of partial mobilization and special operation (SVO) be recognized as aggravating circumstances. Thus, the agency demanded that the blogger's sentence be increased to six years and 10 months in prison, just as it had originally requested.

Markarian's defense also filed an appeal, asking for a commutation of the sentence. The lawyers pointed out that the blogger pleaded guilty, has stable social ties, and has a small child as a dependent. In addition, Markarian, according to his lawyers, helps the participants of his organization. In this regard, the defense requested that the man's sentence be commuted to a non-custodial sentence.

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On March 5, the Moscow City Court sentenced Markarian to four years and six months in prison in a general regime colony in the case of the rehabilitation of Nazism. The blogger fully admitted his guilt. According to investigators, in March 2025, Markarian posted a publicly available video on a video hosting site in which he expressed contempt for the feat and memory of Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Matrosov. In addition, the blogger published an entry justifying Nazism.

Markarian's detention was reported on August 23 last year. Law enforcement officers found the blogger in the trunk of a car that was stopped near the town of Kubinka in the Odintsovo city district of the Moscow region.