Russian Internal Affairs Ministry says no legal violations found in RT executive’s suggestion that Russia detonate nuclear bomb ‘somewhere over Siberia’

Law enforcement agencies have found no violations of Russian legislation in RT executive Margarita Simonyan’s statement suggesting Russia produce a nuclear explosion “somewhere over Siberia,” according to an official Russian Internal Affairs Ministry response published by Moscow Municipal Deputy Evgeny Stupin.

“Of course, this isn’t like sticking on anti-war price tags in a store,” the deputy commented, referring to St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skochilenko’s anti-war activism, for which she was given a seven-year prison sentence.

In October, Simonyan said that “somewhere over Siberia” one could organize a nuclear explosion with no consequences on the ground. According to Simonyan, this would serve as a “nuclear ultimatum” in the fight against the West. After Simonyan’s words were criticized by some Siberian politicians, she launched a defamation suit, claiming false reporting, and complained to police about an “assistant to some deputy,” who accused her of proposing a nuclear strike on Siberia. Soon after, Russian media outlets apologized to Simonyan for reporting her statement about detonating a nuclear bomb over Siberia.