State Duma deputy asks that Russian soccer blogger be investigated for disclosing ‘state secrets’

Roman Teryushkov, a State Duma deputy with the United Russia party, asked for law enforcement to open a criminal case against soccer blogger Yevgeny Savin for the disclosure of “state secrets.”

Teryushkov said he decided to make this request after Savin’s interview with journalist Ksenia Sobchak. In the interview, Savin criticizes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says that “opinion leaders” should speak out about the war, and calls it impossible to keep politics out of soccer.

Referring to the interview, the deputy said that “the blogger isn’t embarrassed to yap about our president and our country. He vilifies athletes because, to him, they also carry collective responsibility.”

Teryushkov said that Savin received a fine for “discrediting” the Russian army, but still continued to speak out. According to Teryushkov, that’s what led him to request Savin’s investigation, though he didn’t specify why “discrediting” the Russian army would be considered disclosing “state secrets.”

“We hope that the decision will be beneficial for Russia, and that [Savin] will be criminally convicted. We already consider him to be a criminal — a blogger-criminal,” added Teryushkov.