The charges are based on comments Kotov allegedly left in so-called extremist Telegram channels over the course of a month and a half following the 2020 presidential elections. There, Lukashenko's regime investigators allegedly found all the crimes listed above.
It is also known that Ivan was detained twice after the 2020 presidential elections. The first time was immediately after August 9. The second time, Lukashenko's security forces seized Kotov in mid-February 2021. Then, riot police detained 68 people in the village of Sokol in the Smolevichi district – participants and spectators of a concert by the band "Razbitae sertsa patsana."
He was released on February 17, 2026, having served his full sentence.
