Initially, a criminal case was opened against Lyudmila for "insulting government officials," but it was later reclassified as "slander." The charges stemmed from a repost.
In December 2020, Lyudmila saw a post about local police officer Sergei Urodnich on the "Black Book of Belarus" Telegram channel and reposted it to the "Pruzhany/Pruzhana" chat with the caption: "Our handsome guy."
In court, she stated, "Your president calls you 'handsome,' and I called him the same thing your president calls him. How did I insult him?" She pleaded not guilty and refused to testify.
In May 2022, Lyudmila was found guilty and sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to an open correctional facility, and was also ordered to pay compensation for moral damages to the "victim."
The period of "house arrest" ended in 2023.
After serving her sentence, the pressure on Lyudmila did not cease, and she was forced to leave Belarus.
