The sentence against Areg Shchepikhin was upheld.

The Moscow City Court rejected the defense's appeal against the sentence of blogger Areg Shchepikhin, who was abducted by Chechen security forces and sentenced to five years in prison.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on October 13, 2025, the Presnensky District Court of Moscow sentenced Areg Shchepikhin to five years in prison. As an additional punishment, he was banned from administering websites and publishing materials online for 2.5 years after his release. Court-appointed defense attorney Oksana Sotnikova filed an appeal against the verdict.

The appellate court upheld Areg Shchepikhin's sentence, taking into account the prosecutor's office's position, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office announced today on its Telegram channel.

The sentence has entered into force.

"The office clarified that the sentence was appealed by the convicted person and his defense. The appeals court of the Moscow City Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the first-instance court's sentence. The sentence has entered into force," the publication stated.

As a reminder, 40-year-old Areg Shchepikhin was abducted on June 3, 2025, at the Yaroslavsky Station in Moscow, amid a large crowd of people. Chechen authorities claimed it was a detention. On June 6, Shchepikhin was officially arrested and charged with inciting extremism and hatred. Those involved in Areg Shchepikhin's abduction, three of whom presented identification as employees of the Russian National Guard for Chechnya, were released on their own recognizance. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report titled "Chechen Security Forces vs. Areg Shchepikhin: Abduction or Detention?".

Areg Shchepikhin is a native of Yerevan. According to his sister, he changed his last name to Oganesyan after marrying in 2012, taking his wife's last name "to make it easier to work in government agencies." An outpatient examination found no mental disorders in Areg Shchepikhin that could have contributed to the crime. It was previously stated in court that Shchepikhin had been diagnosed with mixed personality disorder, a diagnosis the court is obliged to take into account, according to lawyers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot." "Based on my experience in similar cases, a sentence to a penal colony is possible here," blogger Andrei Bezverkhny, the blogger's lawyer, noted.