Moscow's Butyrsky District Court found rapper Legalize (Andrey Menshikov (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation) – real name) guilty of an administrative crime. This was reported on the Telegram channel of the court of general jurisdiction in the capital.
Menshikov was convicted under Article Part 1 of Art. 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation on violations of operating procedures of foreign agents. He was fined 50 thousand rubles.
Menshikov left Russia six months after the start of the special operation in Ukraine. In December 2024, the Ministry of Justice recognized the musician as a foreign agent. According to the Ministry, legalization disseminated false information about the decisions of the Russian authorities and protested against the SVO.
After an interview with journalist Yuri Dud (recognized as an agent of foreign media in the Russian Federation) in early January 2024, the prosecutor's office became interested in Legalization – he was examined to discredit the Russian military, but the proceedings were terminated due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
In September, it was announced that Legalization, after leaving Russia, left behind debt of almost half a million rubles. It should be noted that Menshikov's total debt exceeded 460 thousand rubles, and part of the debt was collected by force.
* Recognized as foreign agent in the Russian Federation.
