The Southern Military District Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Daghestani blogger Arslan Mirzaev, who also writes under the pseudonym Ali Charinsky, to eight years in prison after finding him guilty of publicly justifying terrorism and spreading false information about Russia’s Armed Forces.
The court handed down its verdict on Wednesday, additionally fining Mirzaev ₽1 million ($12,800). The verdict has not yet come into legal force, however, and may be appealed.
The case against Mirzaev was opened at the end of 2022, the Telegram channel of the Southern Military District Court’s press service reported. According to the investigation, the case was initiated due to publications in which he criticised the actions of the Russian authorities and military. In July 2025, the case materials were submitted to court.
According to the court documents, while in Odesa, Ukraine between 20 March–7 April 2022, Mirzaev published photographs and written materials on social media about events in Bucha and Mariupol. The court determined that these publications contained deliberately false information while being presented as factual reports.
Separate charges related to posts from 2023 and 2024. According to the court, Mirzaev published video recordings which included statements recognising the ‘ideology and practice of terrorism as correct’.
At the time of the verdict, Mirzaev was outside Russia. He has not commented on the court’s decision on his social media accounts. His Telegram channel, previously used to publish materials, is now inactive, and previous posts have been deleted. On Instagram and Facebook, he continues to post content related to martial arts training.
According to his channel description, Mirzaev has been engaged in public activity since 2012, including leading the human rights organisation For the Rights of Muslims in Russia.
In 2022, he moved to Ukraine, citing political reasons for his relocation. At that time, more than 3,000 users were subscribed to his Telegram channel.
Xandie (Alexandra) Kuenning
