A court in Caracas on August 8 granted Russia's request for the extradition of 42-year-old blogger Leonid Zakamaldin, who runs a blog about otters he rescued in Bali with a large audience, reported the publication "Vot Tak"*. In Russia, he faces more than 20 years in prison on charges of treason and calls for terrorism.
The 42-year-old Zakamaldin is an ethnic Ukrainian who moved from Russia to Ukraine in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea. After the start of the war, Ukrainian authorities annulled his residence permit due to his Russian citizenship. Zakamaldin met a man who promised to help him obtain Venezuelan citizenship through investments.
In May 2024, Zakamaldin arrived in Venezuela, but it turned out that he would not receive a passport because he encountered a fraudster, whom Venezuelan police arrested in a case of document forgery. Less than two months after arriving in the country, the immigration service detained Zakamaldin himself at Russia's request, where he is accused of public calls for activities aimed against state security, treason, and public calls for terrorist activities.
Authorities considered a post with the words "Russian occupiers must be held accountable. The Russian electoral college should be hung on a pole. Elections in Russia are a farce. Long live Ukraine!" as calls.
The blogger told "Vot Tak" that his lawyer has already filed an appeal against the court's decision, but he is not sure that Venezuela will not send him to his homeland before the complaint is considered.
* Recognized in Russia as a "foreign agent".