AT Moscow Opposition politician Leonid Gozman was arrested for a Facebook post in which he equated Hitler with Stalin. Yulia Tregubova’s lawyer announced his detention on the OVD-Info website.

In the post that led to his arrest, Guzmán wrote: “Hitler is absolute evil, but Stalin is even worse. The SS are criminals, but the NKVD is even worse, because the Chekists killed their own. Hitler declared war on humanity. The Communists declared a general war on their own people” (NKVD – the security service under Stalin, the Chekists – its employees ps).

Guzman told the SOTA website that officers met him at the hospital. He refused to follow them to the department, stating that he did not have his documents with him and that he needed to return to the hospital where he had an appointment. One of the policemen first went with him to the hospital and then left. Guzman contacted his lawyer, waited for her, and then contacted the police.

On July 25, a record appeared in the database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that Gozman was wanted throughout Russia. On the same day, he was detained in the Moscow metro and then released. Guzman is also accused of not declaring his second (Israeli) citizenship. In this case, he can be sentenced to compulsory work up to 400 hours or a fine of 400,000 rubles (6,565 euros) or a fine in the amount of his annual salary. Later, the politician himself said that his wife was also accused of the same.

In 2021, the State Duma (lower house) passed a law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin that prohibits equating communists with Nazis. The administrative law under consideration provides for the imposition of a sentence of imprisonment for up to 15 days and a fine of up to 2,000 rubles (32.83 euros).

^{Source: APE-OIE, Novaya Gazeta.Europe}