A criminal case has been opened in Moscow against the president of the “Vatandosh” Uzbek community Usman Baratov, the Russian Investigative Committee said. He, who wrote a post “No eggs for you! Bring back the roosters from the front!” about rising egg prices, was arrested in Moscow. Russian military officers saw in it an insult to the participants of the special military operation (Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) and appealed to Bastrykin. The detainee says that there was no insult.
Reportedly, in December, Baratov and other individuals, while in the Moscow region, published the post on their personal page on a social network that “degraded the dignity of a group” of Russians, “including participants in a special military operation.”
A case was opened against Baratov under Actions aimed at inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliating the dignity of a person or group, committed by an organized group charge, which is punishable by a fine of up to 600 thousand rubles, forced labor for up to five years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to 3 years, or imprisonment from 3 to 6 years.
Usman Baratov was taken to the department of the capital's Investigative Committee. Others involved are also being identified, the department said.
The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, ordered to open a case against Baratov. “Russian military correspondents” approached him with a request to respond to the “offensive statements” of the head of the Uzbek community, the department said in a statement.
