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Russia fines Kostroma activist over anti-United Russia shirt photo
Kostroma activist Andrey Tarasov was fined 1,000 rubles for publishing a photo of his T-shirt bearing a slogan targeting United Russia. An Interior Ministry expert described the slogan as an “extremist symbol” and argued that it undermined the ruling party’s legitimacy among voters.
The Sverdlovsky District Court in Kostroma fined activist Andrey Tarasov 1,000 rubles for publishing a photo of a T-shirt bearing a slogan targeting United Russia.
Tarasov, described as a former parliamentary candidate for the Yabloko party, wore a T-shirt bearing the phrase "I stand against the party of crooks and thieves." The shirt also featured an image of a person kicking a bear, the symbol of United Russia.
Expert classifies slogan as an extremist symbol
A court-file assessment described the slogan as an “extremist symbol.” An expert commissioned by the Interior Ministry said the phrase was associated with Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
The expert argued that the slogan undermined the legitimacy of the ruling United Russia among voters and was used to express opposition affiliation.
The case was opened following a complaint by Sergey Shpotin, a Communist Party member who ran for governor of the Kostroma region in 2025. Shpotin argued that members of his own party had been taken to court, while claiming that Tarasov, “this new liberal,” was being allowed to do anything.
Phrase became widespread in opposition protests
The phrase "the party of crooks and thieves" has long been used to describe United Russia. Opposition politician Boris Nemtsov used the phrase during a Radio Liberty broadcast in 2010. Alexei Navalny later popularized it on his LiveJournal blog.
The slogan gained widespread acceptance among opposition groups and individual voters during the 2011 parliamentary election period. Banners, flags and stickers reading "No to the party of crooks and thieves" were frequently used during mass protests in 2011 and 2012, when Vladimir Putin was expected to return to the presidency.
In a June 2012 poll conducted by the independent Levada Center, 42 percent of respondents said they supported describing United Russia as “the party of crooks and thieves.”
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