Teacher in Komi Republic charged with 'justifying terrorism' for online post about Crimean Bridge

Nikita Tushkanov, a history and social studies teacher in Russia’s Komi Republic, was arrested on charges of “justifying terrorism” on Wednesday, local media and OVD-Info reported.

Tushkanov’s girlfriend, Alexandra Kochanova, reported that authorities raided the couple’s apartment and confiscated all of their communication devices before taking Tushkanov to the local FSB office. Officers reportedly interrogated Kochanova herself in addition to Tushkanov.

According to Kochanova, the raid and arrest were carried out in connection with a case against Tushkanov for “justifying terrorism” that was opened in response to a photo of the Crimean Bridge he posted along with a “caption containing a positive reaction to what happened.” According to the local outlet Zhest Komi, Kochanova has been charged with repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian army and justifying terrorism.

OVD-Info noted that in March, Tushkanov was hit with misdemeanor charges for anti-war posts he made on social media. In 2021, he was fired from the school where he worked for posts in support of political prisoners. The head of the Ust-Vymsky district education department claimed at the time that Tushkanov’s firing had nothing to do with his previous picket protests in support of Alexey Navalny.