The anatomy of a denunciation: how a hockey enthusiast went to jail 6 years for social media posts

Alexander Mol’kov lives in Balakhna, a small town near Nizhny Novgorod. Mol’kov is a wheelchair Paralympic athlete. He didn’t recall how he found Zharikov’s anti-war video in his Instagram feed, which he was able to access through his VPN.

‘I barely use Instagram. It’s just not really for me’, — Mol’kov told our correspondent.

After watching Zharikov’s video, Mol’kov — according to the indictment bill for the case — ‘gave way to indignation’.

‘I’m a former serviceman (in the Russian army) myself. I still have lots of friends on the front lines. Many of them have been wounded, and some even died. Meanwhile, this guy just sits at home and insults them’, — says Mol’kov.

Later that day, he called the public safety line, and asked them to check if this video ‘condemned the special military operation’ in accordance with ‘the statement on readiness to participate in diversionary acts’. ‘About an hour later I was visited by investigators. I told them everything I knew and gave them a link to the video’, — continues Mol’kov.

The police followed up and asked if he’d seen any of Zharikov’s other social media accounts. Mol’kov found Zharikov’s social media account but soon forgot all about it. ‘From that moment, I just lost interest’, — explains Mol’kov. 5 months later, Mol’kov learned that Zharikov had been sentenced to six years in a penal colony.

The shell-shocked pacifist

Mikhail Zharikov recently turned 39. Born to a family of factory workers, he spent his life in Nizhny Novgorod. He was already playing professional hockey in his childhood. He dreamed of becoming a TV host and began studying journalism when he was 25.

Before starting university, Zharikov served in the Russian Army. He suffered a concussion in 2005. ‘We were sent to clear out mines before a training exercise. Our squad leader, for some reason, stuck one of the shells against the other, resulting in an explosion. After a stint in the hospital, I was granted a vacation. Shortly before I returned home, army officials told my family that I’d died. My father had a heart attack and died a week after’, — Zharikov tells OVD-Info. Since the accident, Zharikov has periodically suffered from migraines, pain in his left ear, and impaired hearing.

Zharikov’s mother has passed away as well; his elder sister didn’t reply to our interview request. According to Zharikov, he and his sister had been out of contact. They made peace only in 2023 after he was detained.

In 2008, Mikhail began courting his childhood girlfriend. They were married and had a daughter by 2012. Around the same time, Zharikov reignited his passion for hockey — this time as a photographer. He would report mainly on local matches but sometimes travelled for away games. Zharikov’s job was a point of contention between him and his wife, and in 2015 they divorced. Zharikov says that ever since he made a point of seeing his daughter at least once a week, and supporting her financially, it forced him to take multiple part-time jobs.