The state prosecution demands tougher punishment for Valeria Chekalina. The main thing

The state prosecution is appealing the verdict of blogger Lerchek (real name — Valeria Chekalina), insisting on a six-year suspended sentence and a ban on online activities. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

The Prosecutor's office's position on the Lercek case

The state prosecution was not satisfied with the verdict handed down by the district court to blogger Valeria Chekalina, known as Lerchek. In the appeal, the prosecutors intend to insist on tougher punishment for the convict. Representatives of the supervisory authority plan to seek a six-year suspended sentence in the Moscow City Court.

In addition, the prosecutor's office will ask for an extension of the ban on brand promotion on the Internet. Instead of the three years imposed by the court of first instance, the prosecution demands to set a limit of five years. Earlier, Lercek was sentenced to five years of probation and a fine of 765 million rubles, while the defendant pleads not guilty.

The circumstances of the Lercek criminal case

Valeria Chekalina was accused of making currency transactions for transferring funds to non-resident accounts using forged documents. According to investigators, the blogger, together with her ex-husband Artem Chekalin and a business partner, implemented fitness marathons. The defendants sent the received payment to accounts in a foreign bank, providing false information about the purposes and purpose of payments to the control authorities.

The investigation found that in this way more than 250 million rubles were withdrawn from Russia. The total amount of damage in the case was estimated at 127 million rubles. At the same time, in March 2026, Chekalina fully repaid the debt to the tax service in the amount of 176 million rubles.

Lerchek's health status

The trial was complicated by Chekalina's serious state of health. At the beginning of 2026, the trial was suspended due to her being diagnosed with stage IV cancer. The hearings resumed only at the end of July, when doctors allowed the defendant to participate in the hearings after undergoing chemotherapy.

During the trial, the prosecutor's office filed a motion for a second forensic medical examination. The reason was reports of Chekalina playing sports and attending a football match, which, according to the prosecution, could indicate an active lifestyle, which was contraindicated with the stated diagnosis. The blogger's defense, in turn, asked the court for an acquittal or release from punishment due to illness.

Restrictions for Handlers

The suspended sentence imposed by the court imposes a number of obligations on Chekalina, including regular attendance at the FSIN inspectorate. The convicted person must not commit new crimes or violate public order. If these conditions are not met, the punishment may be commuted to actual imprisonment in a penal colony.

The sentence also provides for financial sanctions and restrictions on professional activity. Although the suspended sentence allows commercial projects to continue in the absence of special prohibitions, the prosecutor's office insists on the blogger's long-term suspension from website administration and online work.