St. Petersburg Election Candidate Jailed 10 Days for Old Social Media Posts

July 14, 2026 Yaroslav Kostrov. @tvrain / Telegram A judge in St. Petersburg has sentenced a local activist and political candidate to 10 days in jail for displaying “extremist” symbols in social media posts he made in 2021, the exiled news outlet Mediazona reported Tuesday. Yaroslav Kostrov, who leads a group campaigning to preserve St. Petersburg’s historic architecture, was arrested on Monday and held at a police station overnight ahead of his court appearance. The administrative charge against him stems from old social media posts containing links to Instagram and Facebook, platforms owned by Meta, which Russia designated as an “extremist” organization in 2022. According to Mediazona, a judge at St. Petersburg’s Leninsky District Court found Kostrov guilty of displaying “extremist” symbols and handed him a sentence of 10 days in jail. The charge carries a maximum punishment of 15 days in jail. The left-leaning A Just Russia party had nominated Kostrov to run as a candidate in September for St. Petersburg’s legislative assembly. However, under Russian law, his conviction bars him from seeking elected office for one year. In court, Kostrov’s lawyer reportedly argued that Russia’s Constitution prohibits the retroactive application of laws to past actions. The judge was said to have rejected a motion by the defense to submit screenshots showing that Russian government agencies still link to Meta platforms on their own official pages. Kostrov decried his sentence as “absolute lawlessness” and said he was jailed as punishment for trying to seek political office. He said his defense team plans to file an appeal later on Tuesday. The charges against Kostrov are similar to those pressed against anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin on Monday. Nadezhdin faces up to 15 days in jail for sharing a link to a video that contained an image of the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny. Last week, another activist in St. Petersburg and a Communist Party member in the Leningrad region were jailed for 10 days each for the same charge of displaying “extremist” symbols. The growing number of cases appears tied to the upcoming September elections and resembles a practice known as “candidate filtering,” whereby Russian authorities disqualify unwanted challengers ahead of elections to keep them off the ballot entirely. Read more about: St. Petersburg , Court cases Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more St. Petersburg Street Musicians Detained for Third Time Alexander Orlov and Diana Loginova had just finished back-to-back 13-day administrative arrests for organizing an unsanctioned gathering. 1 Min read St. Petersburg Court Places Woman in Pre-Trial Detention for Attempted Murder of Drone Company Employee Law enforcement officials arrested the woman last week after she allegedly tried but failed to place an explosive device under the employee’s car. 1 Min read St. Petersburg Anti-War Teen Released Pending Trial on Wartime Censorship Charges Nineteen-year-old Daria Kozyreva faces up to five years in prison if convicted of “discrediting” Russia’s military. 1 Min read St. Petersburg Court Jails Woman 10 Years for Military Office Arson Attack An unidentified person was said to have convinced Elena Komaricheva to throw a Molotov cocktail at the enlistment office last September. 2 Min read