War in Ukraine: More than 3,300 cases for “discrediting” the Russian military

Russian police have opened more than 3,300 cases for “discrediting” the military, an NGO said on Friday, which took effect in early March to silence critics of the offensive in Ukraine. “Setevye Svobody,” an NGO that provides legal aid to victims of political repression in Russia, said it tallied the number between March 4 and July 14 in Russian Interior Ministry databases.

“On average, the Russian police make 35 statements to disparage the military per working day,” the NGO said on its Telegram account. This offense carries a fine of 100,000 rubles (1,700 fr.) for an ordinary individual and up to one million rubles (17,000 fr.) for a legal entity. After the trial, it is the court that imposes the fine. According to the NGO, Russian courts have already ordered more than 1,500 fines totaling more than 50 million rubles (845,000 fr.) for “discrediting” the military. On social networks, lead to litigation.

According to the specialized NGO OVD-Info, almost 200 people who denounced the intervention in Ukraine were convicted in the context of criminal cases in Russia as well, with the most severe prison terms. On July 8, a Muscovite elected official, Alexei Korinov, was sentenced to seven years in prison for “spreading false information” about the Russian military after publicly condemning the attack on Ukraine.