Pastor at the Evangelical Christians-Baptists Church in the city of Orel, father of many children.
After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he posted an anti-war video message My Opinion !!! (not available at the moment) on the VK social network. An administrative prosecution was initiated against him under part 1 of art. 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation). His video message was sent for an investigation, which concluded that “the complex text contains statements that negatively assess the ‘special operation’ carried out by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine: “This bloody invasion of Ukraine is overkill. This is not just a special operation, because the special operation, as we were told, is aimed at individual militants, but now we see how civilians are dying, how civilians should leave their homes.””
On 8 August, a trial took place in the Orlovsky District Court of the Orel oblast. The pastor denied his guilt in committing any offences. However, judge E.V. Lyadnova decided that Legostaev was guilty and fined him 30,000 Russian rubles (about 400 Euros).
