March 25, 2026

"Mehh": Fined For Reposting Government Video


"Mehh": Fined For Reposting Government Video
A ram up close. stephen jones from uk, Wikimedia Commons.

On March 21, Mediazona reported that a resident of Mytishchi, Moscow Oblast, was fined for reposting a video of sheep with the letter "Z" painted on them. The man was charged with "discrediting" the army for a recording originally posted by Dagestani authorities.

Adil Nurmanov was fined R30,000 ($366) for reposting a video from the public account "Lentach" on VKontakte. In the recording, we see a herd of sheep painted with the nationalist symbol "Z"  marching along while the song "Vpered, Rossya!" ("Forward, Russia!") by Oleg Gazmanov, plays. The court ruling from February 13 stated, "The video recording features an audio soundtrack by the People's Artist Oleg Gazmanov titled 'Russia' ... while the rams emit sounds characteristic of their species." 

According to Mediazona, the description of Nurmanov's post matches a recording originally posted by the Dagestani Ministry of Agriculture in June 2022. The news and memes account "Lentach" reposted the video with the caption "Contest for the most original caption to this video! The results will be announced in the courthouse closest to you." Dagestani authorities later deleted the post.

On June 21, 2022, "Lentach" posted, "There used to be a video here before that one of our subscribers got fined for reposting. That is why we took it down." The page accompanied this caption with an image of Shrek reading, "Oops."

You Might Also Like

Pay or Die
  • March 26, 2026

Pay or Die

Russian commanders in Ukraine are extorting money from their own soldiers under threat of death, according to independent outlet Verstka.
Weird Flex, but Ok
  • March 22, 2026

Weird Flex, but Ok

Putin says Russia's defense products have a great price-to-quality ratio. We're not so sure.
Pro-War Babushkas Evicted
  • March 23, 2026

Pro-War Babushkas Evicted

An unexpected series of setbacks has halted a Russian volunteer organization’s efforts in support of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955