Russian court jails man 12 years for cyberbullying teenager

September 13, 2026 at 06:19 PM2 min

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A court in Veliky Novgorod sentenced a 21-year-old man to 10 years in prison for cyberbullying a teenage girl, with a combined sentence of 12 years in a strict-regime colony. The man had harassed the girl online and offline for months, including making false bomb threats. Russian media report this as the first real prison term in a case involving cyberbullying of a minor.

Key Facts

The Novgorod Regional Court sentenced a 21-year-old man to 10 years in prison for cyberbullying a minor, with a total of 12 years including a previous sentence.
The harassment began in spring 2024 in an online gaming community and continued for several months.
The man made three false bomb threats through intermediaries, naming a shopping center, a school, and the victim's workplace as targets.
The criminal case was opened in autumn 2024, and the suspect was identified and detained in January 2025.
Russian media describe this as the first real prison sentence in a case related to cyberbullying of a teenager.

The Harassment Campaign

The conflict began in spring 2024 in an online community dedicated to a computer game. After a quarrel, the man began sending threats to the schoolgirl and her family, spreading personal data, and creating fake accounts in the names of relatives. The harassment quickly moved beyond social media: the man ordered nighttime deliveries to the family's address, posted advertisements in the city with the girl's photo, and published materials in her name that led strangers to threaten her. Three times the perpetrator, through intermediaries, reported allegedly planted explosive devices, naming a shopping center, a school, and the victim's workplace as possible targets.

Investigation and Trial

The prolonged bullying seriously affected the teenager's psychological state. A criminal case was opened in autumn 2024, and in January 2025 the suspect was identified and detained. The man was tried on several charges, including attempted incitement of a minor to suicide, indecent acts, and distribution of prohibited materials. Under the new sentence, he received 10 years of imprisonment; combined with a previously imposed punishment, the final term was 12 years in a strict-regime correctional colony.