Journalist Alexei Seregin has been detained in Yoshkar-Ola. He is accused of "justifying terrorism," citing a two-year-old comment about Dzhokhar Dudayev, the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The criminal case was launched for "justifying illegal armed groups in Chechnya in the 1990s."
According to media reports, the journalist "was brought to his home in handcuffs for a search, despite having a head injury." After the search of his apartment, Seregin was taken to the Investigative Committee for questioning and placed in pretrial detention for 48 hours. The journalist's relatives reported that the lawyers they had contacted refused to represent him.
The journalist was declared a "foreign agent" in November 2024, but remained in Russia and hosted the channel "Nothing Will Happen in Mari El." On it, he analyzed a wide range of regional issues, including corruption, pressure on activists, election violations, and environmental problems. He also regularly reported on the lives of Mari El residents killed during the war against Ukraine.
Oleksiy Seregin has repeatedly faced pressure in recent years for his professional and civic activities.
