Activist from Perm deported from the U.S. sentenced in Russia to six years

Activist from Perm deported from the U.S. sentenced in Russia to six years

Perm businessman and activist Leonid Melekhin was found guilty of justifying terrorism and was sentenced to six years in prison. «Mediazona» learned this.

The charges were prompted by an online comment (its content is unknown), as well as a Telegram post. It contained a photograph of a poster with the inscription: “Putin V.V. murderer fascist usurper. All that is needed for evil to triumph is the inaction of good people/hang the fascist.”

In 2024, Melekhin left for the United States, where he requested political asylum. He was sent to an immigration detention facility, and in the summer of 2025 he was denied asylum. The outlet Properm reported that after that Melekhin was deported from the United States. His court-appointed lawyer claimed that the Perm resident returned to his homeland as part of “self-deportation” — even though he knew he faced the threat of a criminal case.

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A court sentenced a Perm resident deported from the U.S. to six years in a penal colony over a mannequin of Putin suspended from a rope

Activist Leonid Melekhin from Perm was found guilty on two counts of justifying terrorism. «Mediazona» learned this.

The case was opened…