Mikhail Biryukov said an investigator informed him of the decision on Oct. 6. He has not yet received the formal order, and prosecutors may approve or overturn the decision.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has dropped the criminal case against Lida Moniava, founder of the Dom s Mayakom charity and hospice, Kommersant reported, citing her lawyer Mikhail Biryukov. The lawyer said an investigator from the committee’s Main Investigative Directorate told him about the decision on the afternoon of Oct. 6.
Biryukov said he had not yet received the formal written order, which had been sent by post. The investigator also sent the decision to the prosecutor’s office, which can agree with the closure or overturn it.
Kommersant, citing sources, reported that a linguistic examination was conducted before the case was closed. According to those sources, the examination found no elements of the offense alleged against Moniava in her statements. That account comes from the newspaper’s sources; the full written order has not been made public.
Moniava had been charged with knowingly spreading false information about the armed forces motivated by political hatred under Article 207.3, part 2(d), of Russia’s Criminal Code. The case concerned a post on her Telegram channel published in February 2023. Investigative measures began on Sept. 2, when officers searched her home and took her to the Investigative Committee.