Former Yekaterinburg mayor detained for ‘discrediting the Russian Army’

Former Yekaterinburg mayor Yevgeny Roizman has been detained in the city on charges of “discrediting” the Russian army, news agency Interfax has reported, citing his assistant Leyla Guseinova. State-run agency TASS confirmed the news with the region’s emergency services.

“He [Roizman] has indeed been detained. As I understand, the police are searching the Nevyansk Icon Museum. They called us to open the office of the [Roizman] Foundation, as they want to search that too,” Guseinova said.

The news was later confirmed by the politician himself. Roizman has been detained under Article 280.3 of Russia's Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. According to Roizman, the case against him was initiated in Moscow.

Since the start of the year, the former mayor has been fined three times for allegedly “discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces. At the end of May, he was also fined for contempt of authority. The total amount of Roizman’s fines currently amounts to 235,000 rubles (€4,000), according to local outlet It’s my City.