Tyumen Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Telegram 'Stars'
A resident of Tyumen was sentenced to 8 years in prison for posting 'stars' worth 300 rubles in Telegram channels Naki and Nevzorov. The military court in Yekaterinburg sentenced 57-year-old Mikhail Antonovich, a resident of Tyumen, to 8 years in a colony for the crime of financing terrorism, according to 'Mediazon'.
Consensus
- The defendant, Mikhail Antonovich, is a 57-year-old resident of Tyumen.
- He was sentenced to eight years in prison in a strict regime colony by the Central Military District Court in Yekaterinburg.
- The sentence was based on charges of financing terrorism.
- Antonovich sent 130 Telegram Stars (Telegram Stars) totaling 292.99 rubles.
- The payments were made to Telegram channels of Michael Naky, Alexander Nevzorov, Alexander Shpak, and Taras Berezovets.
- The court considered the channels to engage in terrorism propaganda and provide media support to terrorist organizations.
- The case was heard in a closed session.
- The channels are described as covering political topics, including the war in Ukraine.
- The case has drawn attention from human rights groups, who have called on Telegram's founder Pavel Durov to anonymize Telegram Stars.
- The channels include content about attacks on Russian infrastructure and advice on using Telegram Stars securely.
Points of divergence
- The total amount was 293 rubles. — tg_varlamov_news
- The largest number of Stars (30) were sent under a post by Berezovets about an attack on a Russian ammunition depot on the Kinburn Spit. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- The post where Antonovich left Stars included recommendations on how to make Telegram Stars less visible. — tg_tvrain
- The posts were about news, VPN, and safety tips for using Telegram Stars. — tg_currenttime
- The case was filed on 22 September 2026, and the open letter to Durov was published on that date. — tg_theinsider
- Antonovich wrote a comment to Michael Naky about a power outage in Tyumen on 19 November 2025, which the prosecution claimed was sensitive information. — tg_sibrealii
- Rosfinmonitoring listed Antonovich as an extremist and terrorist on 16 January 2026. — tg_radiosvoboda
- Alexander Shpak has been charged with justifying terrorism, and Michael Naky disabled Telegram Stars in his channel from 1 January 2026. — tg_sotavisionmedia
Coverage (9 sources)
- Resident of Tyumen sentenced to eight years in prison for sending 'stars' (Telegram Stars) to posts in channels Alexander... — Varlamov News
- Resident of Tyumen sentenced to 8 years for 'stars' in pro-Ukrainian Telegram channels — The Moscow Times
- Tumen resident sentenced to eight years for sending 'stars' in Telegram for 293 rubles — Дождь (Telegram)
- Resident of Tyumen sentenced to eight years in prison for 'stars' in Telegram — Настоящее Время
- To 8 years in a strict regime prison sentenced a resident of Tyumen for 'stars' worth 300 rubles under posts in Telegram channels... — The Insider
- Tumen resident sentenced to 8 years for 'stars' worth 300 rubles in Naki and Nevezorova tg-channels — Сибирь.Реалии
- Tumenets sentenced to eight years for 'stars' in Telegram — Радио Свобода
- Tyumen man sentenced to eight years for 'stars' in channels of Naki, Nevezorov and Shpak — SOTAvision
- Tumenets sentenced to 8 years for 'stars' in Telegram channels of Michael Naki, Alexander Nevzorov, and Alexander Shpak — Медиазона
Key entities
- Tyumen
- Mikhail Antonovich
- Michael Naki
- Alexandr Nevzorov
- Yekaterinburg
- Mediasphere
- Residents
- Telegram
- Central District Military Court
- Nevzorov
- Telegram channel
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