Aruna Arna, a mother of many children from Gorno-Altaysk, is an active civic campaigner; she collected thousands of signatures calling for the resignation of Governor Turchak and opposed amendments to the local constitution. In September 2025, security forces raided her home and charged her with inciting terrorism. The criminal prosecution was based on videos posted to her Telegram channel featuring cover versions of classic revolutionary songs — "The Internationale" and "Varshavyanka." Experts from the Ministry of Justice claimed that lyrics dating back 130 years — such as "We shall destroy the entire world of violence to its foundations" and "All power to the working people" — constituted calls to overthrow the political order in modern-day Russia. Arna denied the charges and demanded that the experts themselves be put on trial for issuing a knowingly false report, as well as for Russophobia and the rehabilitation of Nazism due to the banning of cultural heritage. In June 2026, following a trial closed to the public on the grounds of "state secrecy," a military court sentenced the activist to five years in prison.
