Who Is Veronika Loginova? Sentenced 6 Years Jail For Using Instagram

Veronika Loginova, a Russian fashion influencer, alleged that using Instagram resulted her in a six-year prison sentence. The 18-year-old posted a slew of photos on her Facebook and also displayed the letter from the government.

According to a report by Vice News, despite the fact that Loginova only used her account to talk about fashion and beauty-related concerns, she was accused of "extremist actions."  The influencer has more than 550,000 followers on the social media platform. According to the Russian digital rights NGO Roskomsvoboda, Loginova is the first person to have been charged following a Russian court's March ban on Instagram and Facebook for engaging in "extremist" behaviour during the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian Influencer Veronika Loginova, Her Take On 6 years Jail

The social media influencer stated that she received a call from her mother informing her that the police had visited her house looking for her while she was in Paris. When translated from Russian to English, her post says, "Now for keeping Instagram, I face a 6-year prison term. You wake up this morning in Russia. And although I won't say anything, it's not conventional for us to discuss this."

Loginova continued, "On August 17, when I'm in Paris, my mother calls and says in a shaky voice that the police have come to our house and are hunting for you. My 14-year-old brother is currently attempting to make sense of what is happening in general and why he has two adult males waiting in the hallway with a statement. As it turned out afterward, a declaration implied that I would face a 6-year sentence for using Instagram. And the words "I stand out too much".

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In the documents she allegedly got from Russian prosecutors, she is reportedly charged with "doing activities to lure users on the social networks Facebook and Instagram." Additionally, she shared pictures of the documents in the post.

Sargis Darbinyan, the director of Roskomsvoboda's legal department, claims that this is the first instance of a Russian citizen being persecuted for no other reason than that they use Instagram. He stated, "With this strategy, everything is under attack, even people who post pictures of kittens and sell handmade goods."

Feature Image Credit: VICE News