The owner of a cafe in Lyubertsy left Russia after the initiation of a defamation case

The owner of the Strong Coffee coffee shop in Lyubertsy near Moscow, Alena Polyakevich, left Russia. In February, she expelled a SVO member from the establishment, after which a case was opened against her for discrediting the army and a criminal investigation was launched for inciting hatred. She herself said that the military man “did not behave very well.”

“I did what I had to do, but any pride has consequences, so I left my native and beloved country. I love my home, but I think that it’s better to be alive and healthy at a distance than my mother bringing me crackers in a pre-trial detention center,” reports Msk1.ru text by Ms. Polyakevich from her closed Telegram channel.

After Alena Polyakevich published that she kicked out a SVO participant from a coffee shop, she was found guilty under the article on discrediting the Russian army (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation) and fined by 45 thousand rubles. Activists of the Russian Community ZOV movement, accompanied by police, also came to the girl’s establishment. They wrote a collective statement against the owner of the coffee shop. Participants in the movement also stated that they saw videos of the girl from protest actions on social networks.

February 28 Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee reported on the investigation of a criminal case against Alena Polyakevich under Part 1 of Art. 282 (inciting hatred or enmity). The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, instructed to report on the progress of the investigation.