Russian law enforcement authorities revealed charges Monday versus exiled YouTuber Ilya Varlamov for violating the nations foreign agent laws.Varlamov, a popular travel blogger with over 5 million YouTube customers, has been a vocal critic of Russias full-scale intrusion of Ukraine.
In 2023, Russias Justice Ministry included him to its list of foreign agents, a classification that needs individuals to send monetary reports and include a prolonged disclaimer on all released content.Moscow courts have fined Varlamov twice this year for breaking foreign agent laws, which triggered police to push criminal charges versus him.Varlamov continued to distribute public messages and products on social networks without suggesting they were developed or distributed by a foreign agent, the Moscow Prosecutor Generals Office stated in a statement.The 40-year-old Varlamov faces up to two years in jail if convicted.Varlamov, who lives outside Russia, has pledged to continue publishing online without the compulsory foreign agent label.I think about the law on foreign agents unconstitutional.
Its only purpose is political repression and censorship, he wrote on Telegram.Earlier this year, the YouTuber was also charged with discrediting the Russian militaries.