The wife of blogger Elena Blinovskaya, identified as Alexey Blinovsky, who took part in a special operation in Ukraine, left the Donetsk military unit where he served, according to a Telegram channel that was partially taken down after being linked to an anonymous source.
HE Alexey Blinovsky is no longer with the unit, according to the channel’s source.
Later, the channel quoted a source saying Blinovsky, a machine gunner, was moved to another unit in the Donetsk People’s Republic and is in a re‑registration status. After completing the required training, he would be sent to the combat line. Before that, Blinovsky had been in the Northern Military District assembling unmanned aerial vehicles for various units.
The channel noted that the exact location of the blogger at the moment remains unknown, and he may have traveled outside the immediate area.
Blinovsky case
Elena Blinovskaya was detained at the Belarusian border on April 27, 2023. She faced charges of non-payment of value added tax and personal income tax totaling 918 million rubles, and the legalization of income from the sale of training programs. Her husband Alexey Blinovsky initially appeared as a witness in the case and was later charged with similar offenses. Investigators claimed that Blinovskaya was able to withdraw funds through her husband’s companies.
Blinovskaya was placed under house arrest while her husband was barred from certain actions in the tax evasion case. The restrictions included a ban on communicating with participants in the case, except for his wife and lawyers, and prohibition from sending or receiving postal telegrams and using the Internet.
At the end of January, Blinovskaya was transferred to a pre-trial detention center. The Zamoskvoretsky District Court decided to tighten the preventive measure at the request of investigators due to non-compliance with the restrictions. A source in the Kommersant newspaper claimed that Blinovskaya hosted a New Year’s corporate party at a country house for a witness in her case.
On March 22, investigators filed final charges against the couple. Blinovskaya faced accusations of tax evasion, legalization of funds obtained through crime, and illegal circulation of means of payment, while Blinovsky was charged with complicity. The Federal Tax Service put Blinovskaya’s tax debt, including fines, at 1.4 billion rubles.
At Blinovsky SVO
On April 13, a TASS source reported that the wife of a well-known author signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense to serve in the Russian armed forces and joined a special operation. The Telegram channel claimed that Blinovsky had been part of the Donetsk Corps since March en route to the DPR. It suggested he may have pursued this role to secure the so‑called benefits for participants in the special military operation and to help his wife avoid extended detention.
A former lawyer who had worked with Blinovsky published a plea to the president of the Investigative Committee, asking for intervention to terminate the investigator’s contract with the army. He asserted that there was no notice of any contract ban and requested steps to suspend actions aimed at terminating his client’s contract.
On April 24, RIA Novosti cited a source saying security forces were investigating why the blogger’s wife signed a service contract with the Ministry of Defense and whether she informed the ministry of her status as a defendant.
Blinovskaya’s pre‑trial detention
The day before, the First General Jurisdiction Court of Appeals reviewed a request to extend Blinovskaya’s detention until July 26. During the hearing, she stated she had found a buyer for her apartment and planned to use the sale proceeds to address the tax debt. Her lawyer highlighted the stress and psychological strain on her children due to her detention, yet the court upheld the decision to keep her in custody.
After the ruling, Blinovskaya cried openly. The court was asked to cancel the extension, but the request was denied. She cited the investigation’s completion, the need to review case materials, and the desire to participate more actively in paying taxes. She also argued that her children would lose their mother if the detention continued.
According to a lawyer for Blinovskaya, the court also ordered the release of seized property belonging to Blinovskaya and her relatives to settle the tax debt. The court accepted a petition to lift the seizure on a flat that had a buyer. To date, Blinovskaya had paid more than 140 million rubles of the 1.4 billion rubles owed.