Ekaterina Gordon, a prominent lawyer, appeared in a joint video on Instagram with defender Alla Salikhova and women’s blogger Lerchek, where they pledged to defend their rights in the public arena. The message arrived at a moment when Russian audiences are watching how online voices confront legal pressure and what it means to stand up for lawful activity on major platforms. The trio framed the moment as a collective effort to shield activists and supporters from harassment in a shifting media landscape. In the background, Russia has designated Meta, the parent company of the platform, as extremist and banned, a detail that casts a shadow over online advocacy and adds urgency to the rights-focused message. (Cited: internal observers, contemporaneous reports)
On October 2, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a criminal case against Valeria and Artem Chekalin. The blogger is a central figure in the new charges. He is suspected of illegally transferring payments for fitness marathons to the BI FIT company through a Dubai-based bank. A search was conducted at the home of his ex-wife, Lerchek. The development highlights a collision between online influence and state oversight of financial transactions tied to wellness events, drawing intense scrutiny from followers and critics alike. (Cited: official statements, investigative briefs)
There is a sense that a group of people wants to take Lerchek back into a corner to scare and reveal. Why raids and searches? Why wasn’t the lawyer allowed in? Who is behind this and how far will it go, given that Valeria is alleged to have paid a substantial sum to the Federal Tax Service and remained in the country to support her children? Gordon expressed anger at the unfolding sequence, framing it as more than a routine investigation and suggesting a targeted pressure campaign against those who speak out online. (Cited: contemporaneous coverage)
The defense team said the search of Chekalin’s house seemed strange since the blogger was in Moscow and not hiding. Gordon stressed that law enforcement officers frightened Lerchek’s mother, who was at home during the searches, and that the family was denied access to consult a lawyer. She compared the evolving case to what she described as a crusade against bloggers, arguing that the actions appeared punitive rather than procedural and that basic rights to legal presence and due process were being constrained. (Cited: interview transcripts)
“It is completely unclear why he was not invited to the survey. It’s not hiding. Everything else looks like oppression,” Gordon said, underscoring a pattern of conduct she viewed as politically charged enforcement. Earlier reports noted that police did not examine blogger Hasbik because of an anti-Semitic post, a detail that has fed further debate about selective enforcement and the criteria used in policing online figures. The broader conversation centers on whether high-profile online voices are facing a double standard in how investigations are conducted and how public scrutiny translates into legal action. (Cited: prior coverage)”