Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree pardoning popular Russian blogger Lerchek (real name Valeria Chekalina), who is battling cancer and was given a suspended sentence in a criminal case involving the illegal transfer of millions of dollars abroad.

Axar.az reports, citing Russian media, that the relevant document was published on the official legal information portal.

“Guided by humanitarian principles, I hereby decree: to pardon Valeria Valeryevna Chekalina, born in 1992, release her from the sentence imposed by the Gagarinsky District Court of Moscow on July 31, 2026, and expunge her criminal record. This decree shall enter into force upon signing,” the document states.

Earlier, a Moscow court rejected the blogger's request to travel to China for treatment of stage-four stomach cancer.

The blogger's lawyer, Konstantin Tretyakov, previously said that his client had submitted a formal request to the Russian president seeking a pardon.

It should be recalled that a criminal case against Lerchek and her former husband was opened in October 2024. The former couple, along with their business associate Roman Vishnyak, were suspected of transferring more than 250 million rubles from Russia to Dubai using forged documents.

On July 31, the court found Chekalina guilty and sentenced her to five years of suspended imprisonment. She was also ordered to pay a fine of 763 million rubles. Lerchek's former husband, Artem Chekalin, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony. He was taken into custody directly from the courtroom.

Hearings in Lerchek's case resumed on July 25. On July 28, it became known that the case had been transferred to a new federal judge. On July 30, the blogger appeared in court for the first time after a prolonged illness. The hearing was held behind closed doors.

On February 24, 2026, Chekalina gave birth to her fourth child with Argentine choreographer Luis Skvichchiarini. A day after being discharged from the hospital, she was hospitalized again. The dancer later said that Lerchek had been diagnosed with stage-four stomach cancer with metastases. The blogger subsequently confirmed that she was undergoing chemotherapy.

On March 16, the blogger was released from house arrest, and court proceedings in the criminal case were suspended. On July 24, prosecutors requested that the trial resume and that Lerchek be placed under house arrest again in connection with her trip to St. Petersburg.