Arrest at St. Petersburg Festival: Man Detained for Carrying ‘Extremist’ Symbols

A court in St. Petersburg declared on Tuesday that a man has been sentenced to 12 days in jail for possessing items linked to an «extremist organization.»

Artyom Repin was apprehended on Saturday while carrying a goblet featuring a pentagram and an image of the occult figure Baphomet, alongside a book titled «Satanic Rituals,» according to court records. He was en route to the Necrocomiccon cosplay and pop culture event at the time of his arrest.

During the court proceedings, Repin stated that he was detained by authorities outside the festival’s entrance while adorned in makeup and dressed as a priest.

The Necrocomiccon, a festival celebrating comic book culture, mysticism, and fantasy, was set to occur on November 1-2, but it was canceled within hours of its commencement after law enforcement initiated legal action against the festival’s organizer, Alexei Samsonov.

Samsonov, a long-time St. Petersburg resident and citizen of Kazakhstan, was accused by police of presenting an invalid migration card that allegedly stated his stay in Russia had been extended until May 1, 2026, as reported by the local news outlet Fontanka.

He faced charges for violating immigration regulations, received a fine, and was ordered by the court to be detained for deportation, which is set to occur by January 29, 2026. His current situation remains uncertain.

In July, Russia classified the so-called «International Satanist Movement» as an «extremist» organization.

In April, lawmakers referred to it as a “misanthropic ideology that justifies evil” and claimed it aimed to undermine the country’s traditional religions.