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A district court in Kostroma fined former State Duma candidate Andrey Tarasov 1,000 rubles for displaying what it classified as extremist symbols. The case concerned a photo of Tarasov wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “I’m against the party of crooks and thieves,” which a Ministry of Internal Affairs expert linked to Alexey Navalny and the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Tarasov says he will appeal.
A district court in Kostroma fined Andrey Tarasov 1,000 rubles, ruling that a photo of the former State Duma candidate wearing a T-shirt displayed extremist symbols. The shirt bore the slogan “I’m against the party of crooks and thieves”, which an expert assessment cited in the case connected to Alexey Navalny and the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). Tarasov says he plans to appeal.
The Sverdlovsky District Court found Tarasov in violation of Article 20.3, Part 1, of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses, which concerns the public display of extremist symbols. According to Tarasov’s account on VKontakte, the case was brought over a photograph of him wearing the shirt. The design also showed a person kicking a bear, a symbol associated with the ruling United Russia party.
Excerpts from an expert assessment commissioned for the proceedings were published by Tarasov. The expert wrote that Navalny is considered the creator of the “party of crooks and thieves” meme and that the slogan was later used in connection with the FBK’s activities. The expert, enlisted by the Interior Ministry, said the phrase did more than criticize United Russia: in her view, it sought to undermine the party’s standing with voters and identified the wearer as an opposition supporter.
Those statements are the expert’s assessment, rather than a separate finding that Tarasov himself created or promoted the slogan on behalf of the FBK. Tarasov has said he intends to challenge the ruling. The report does not provide a date for the hearing or further details of the court’s reasoning beyond the expert assessment and the administrative offense cited.
A Slogan Treated as Extremist Symbolism
The ruling shows how a slogan printed on clothing can become the basis for an administrative case when authorities or court-appointed experts associate it with an organization designated extremist. The court’s decision concerns Tarasov’s T-shirt and the photograph, not a criminal conviction or a sentence for membership in the FBK. The reported fine is 1,000 rubles.
The case also places political expression and enforcement of Russia’s extremism laws in direct tension. The expert’s reasoning treats the slogan as more than a criticism of United Russia, arguing that it signals support for an opposition movement. That interpretation may matter to other people who use the phrase, though the available report does not establish how broadly authorities will apply this reasoning or whether other courts will follow it.
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From Communist Politics to Yabloko
Tarasov previously led the public liaison office of the Communist Party’s regional branch in Kostroma and ran several times for a single-member seat in the regional legislature as a Communist candidate. He had a public falling-out with Communist colleagues in 2026, then ran for the State Duma with the Yabloko Party. He finished third in his single-member district.
The T-shirt drew public attention before September’s elections. Sergey Shpotin, secretary of the Communist Party’s Kostroma regional committee, complained about it on Telegram. Shpotin contrasted the treatment of party members with what he characterized as Tarasov’s freedom from consequences, saying that Communist Party members faced court cases, fines, property damage and persecution for using the same phrase. That was Shpotin’s claim; the report does not independently substantiate the incidents he described.
The legal backdrop includes the Moscow City Court’s 2021 decision declaring the FBK an extremist organization. Meduza reports that authorities regularly open criminal investigations over donations to the group, with defendants receiving lengthy prison sentences. The present case, however, is an administrative proceeding over alleged display of extremist symbols.
““By calling United Russia the party of crooks, the FBK was not simply criticizing it — it was delegitimizing the ruling party in voters’ eyes.””
— Expert enlisted by the Interior Ministry, as quoted in excerpts Tarasov published
protest T-shirt with extremist symbols
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Appeal and Court Reasoning Await
It is not yet clear when Tarasov will file his appeal, which court will hear it, or whether the fine will be upheld. The available report does not include the full court decision, the complete expert assessment, or a response from the Interior Ministry or the court.
The report also does not establish whether the ruling applies to the shirt’s wording, its graphic, the context in which Tarasov wore it, or a combination of those factors. The expert’s assessment links the phrase to Navalny and the FBK, but that connection is an attributed interpretation in the case materials. The court’s full explanation and any appellate ruling could clarify how it applied the administrative law.
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Tarasov Plans to Challenge Fine
Tarasov has said he plans to appeal the ruling. No appeal date or hearing schedule was included in the report. The next clear development will be whether he files the challenge and how an appellate court responds to the district court’s finding that the T-shirt amounted to displaying extremist symbols.
Further details may also emerge through the appeal, including the court’s reasoning and whether it accepts the expert’s account of the slogan’s links to Navalny and the FBK. Until then, the reported outcome remains a 1,000-ruble administrative fine, with the challenge still pending.
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Key Questions
Who was fined by the court?
The Sverdlovsky District Court in Kostroma fined Andrey Tarasov, a former State Duma candidate who ran for Yabloko in 2026.What was on the T-shirt?
The shirt carried the slogan “I’m against the party of crooks and thieves” and a drawing of a person kicking a bear. Tarasov said the case concerned a photograph of him wearing it.Why did the court impose a fine?
The court fined Tarasov 1,000 rubles under Article 20.3, Part 1, of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses for displaying extremist symbols. An expert in the case linked the slogan to Navalny and the FBK.Has Tarasov said whether he will challenge the ruling?
Yes. Tarasov said he plans to appeal. The report did not give a filing date or hearing schedule.Does the ruling mean Tarasov was convicted of a crime?
No criminal conviction is reported. The case resulted in an administrative fine under the Code of Administrative Offenses.Source: rss
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