Russian court declares blogger Yelena Blinovskaya bankrupt after tax evasion and large-scale money laundering charges

A Moscow court has declared Russian blogger Yelena Blinovskaya bankrupt, RIA Novosti reports. The court has initiated a six-month procedure to liquidate her assets. Blinovskaya filed for bankruptcy on May 31, 2024.

She was arrested on April 28, 2023, while attempting to cross the border into Belarus in a rented vehicle. Blinovskaya faces charges of tax evasion and large-scale money laundering. Russia’s Federal Tax Service has estimated her total debt, including fines and penalties, at 1.4 billion rubles ($14.2 million). In October, her lawyers reported that she had repaid more than 320 million rubles ($3.2 million) in personal income tax debt.

Her husband, Alexey Blinovsky, went to fight in Ukraine in April 2024. The Telegram channel Shot reported that Blinovsky sought to “rehabilitate” himself in the eyes of the state and attempt to secure his wife’s release from detention. Blinovsky’s own criminal case was separated into a distinct proceeding and suspended. However, he, too, may face bankruptcy — Sberbank has filed a petition demanding over 7.5 million rubles ($76,100) from him, RIA Novosti writes.