The St. Petersburg City Court has altered the pre-trial restriction for Yuri Faust, the former head of the Kirovsky district administration of the Leningrad region, from detention to house arrest. This decision comes after an appeal against the Vyborg District Court’s ruling in his slander case, as reported on June 10 by the United Press Service of the city courts.

Faust now faces restrictions that prevent him from leaving his home and communicating with witnesses, suspects, victims, their representatives, and defenders without court approval. He is also barred from using the telephone, the Internet, and postal services.

Faust was initially detained in mid-September 2024 on suspicion of orchestrating slander against Senator Dmitry Vasilenko and Legislative Assembly member Mikhail Kolomycev. Investigators allege that he conspired with individuals identified as Muzhchinin and Solovyov to disseminate false information damaging the honor and reputation of the senator and deputy.

The alleged scheme involved distributing unverified claims about Vasilenko and Kolomycev’s supposed involvement in serious criminal activities through the “Our Shlisselburg” group. Following his initial detention, Faust was placed under a travel ban, but the court later reversed this decision in October, ordering him into custody before this latest appeal.