Marketing Expert Takes Control at "Nebrehny" Company
In a groundbreaking court case, media manager Stanislav Deineko has been sentenced for his role in a large-scale extortion scheme. Deineko, a PR specialist and deputy director of the regional department of strategic development, was accused of demanding money from Vasily Brovko, the special envoy director of Rostec, in exchange for blocking negative publications on Telegram channels.
The Meshchansky Court of Moscow found Deineko guilty of extortion (part 3 of article 163 of the Russian Criminal Code) and slander (part 5 of article 128.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The sentence? Five years in a strict-regime colony.
This case involved several high-profile figures, including Digital Soft's CEO Anton Safonov, Lenfilm studio boss Fedot Shcherbakov, journalist Dmitry Zhmuzkii, Alexander Gusov (owner of the newspaper "Vek" and the Telegram channel "Novy Vek"), and the creator and administrator of the Telegram channel "Kremlin Mamkovod" Sergei Sadovod.
Safonov, Deineko, and Gusov have all been implicated in the case and have agreed to the charges. However, Shcherbakov and Zhmutskiy are wanted in absentia for their involvement. Safonov remains the only one who denies his guilt and has claimed that the investigation has resorted to official forgery to secure the approval of the indictment.
Alexander Gusov, like Deineko, signed a plea deal. Notable is the fact that in May 2024, politician Karen Grigoryan was convicted in another extortion case involving Vasily Brovko.
Interestingly, recent legislation in Russia allows for the confiscation of property and assets from individuals convicted of distributing "false" information about the country's armed forces. Russia has also been implementing policies to seize assets from owners deemed disloyal or unable to manage property effectively. Foreign companies face challenges when exiting the Russian market as well[1][2][3][4].
The case against Stanislav Deineko serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of attempting to manipulate information and influence public opinion in Russia. The Russian government has been taking measures to maintain control over information and align economic interests with its geopolitical objectives. However, an explicit law targeting property transfers for blocking negative information in the media, internet, and messengers has yet to be implemented.
[1] - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-passes-bill-imposing-prison-terms-for-fake-news-about-armed-forces-2022-05-05/[2] - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/30/world/europe/russia-opposition-novaya-gazeta.html[3] - https://www.rocombustion.com/news/entry/russia-takes-ousting-companies-to-new-level[4] - https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/06/24/russia-puts-westerners-on-wanted-list-for-joining-march-against-war-in-ukraine
- Stanislav Deineko, the PR specialist and deputy director of the regional department of strategic development, was found guilty by the Meshchansky Court of Moscow for both extortion and slander.
- Alexander Gusov, owner of the newspaper "Vek" and the Telegram channel "Novy Vek", recently signed a plea deal, similar to Deineko.
- In a different case, politician Karen Grigoryan was convicted in May 2024 for extortion involving Vasily Brovko, who was also a victim in Deineko's case.
- The Russian government has been taking strides to maintain control over information, with measures such as seizing assets from owners deemed disloyal or unable to manage property effectively, and the potential for legislation targeting property transfers for blocking negative information in the media, internet, and messengers.
