Rapper Morgenstern Case: Lawyer Questions Protocol Validity Over Location

A veteran lawyer spoke about the case of Alisher Morgenstern, a rapper listed as a foreign agent in Russia. The attorney stated that Morgenstern has not breached the rules that govern foreign agent activity. The claim centers on a procedural issue tied to where Morgenstern was when the alleged violation occurred. According to the lawyer, the formal protocol accusing the musician is invalid because the incident did not take place in Moscow. Instead, Morgenstern was outside the capital at the time in question. The lawyer asserted that Morgenstern was abroad and had intentionally stayed away from Moscow in February 2023 to avoid an administrative offense. This point, he noted, could be verified by requesting information from the federal border service. The defense also suggested that other aspects of the protocol may hide additional violations connected to how the case was framed. Separately, Morgenstern faced an administrative action that was declared on May 23. The charge stated that Morgenstern would be fined for failing to mark his posts on social networks as related to a foreign agent. The anticipated penalty for this omission was set at five hundred thousand rubles.