Novikov was at home before the trial. As Flagstaff noted , on June 26, 2022, Alexander left a post on his Facebook page: “Tomorrow they may put you on bunks. Sometimes there’s no time for laws, but you have to answer.” The trial took place behind closed doors. Novikov was accused of posting articles on his website that “had the goal of achieving a revision of world history, the results of the war, and discrediting the Victory,” the publication clarifies.
Fellow writers noted that during Soviet times, Novikov served in the KGB and was dismissed with the rank of major. In the 2000s, Novikov started a blog called “literary critic,” in which he covered the country’s literary life. This blog was private, but was perceived as affiliated with the Writers' Union due to the author's proximity to the organization's leadership. Novikov himself did not write any works, but was actively involved in criticism. In his texts, Novikov persistently treated Belarusian-speaking authors. On the blog litkritika.blogspot.com, he repeatedly spoke negatively about the work of Nikolai Cherginets, a former military man and member of the National Assembly of Belarus.
