The suppression of the slightest protests continues in Russia.
A Russian court on Monday sentenced a 72-year-old retiree to 5 and a half years in prison accused of broadcasting two messages deemed hostile to the Russian offensive in Ukraine, in the midst of a repression of all criticism.
The press service of the court in the town of Shakhty, in the Rostov region (southwest), indicated that Evgenia Mayboroda had been found guilty of “spreading false information” about the army and calling for “ extremist acts.
She will have to serve her sentence in a penal colony with “ordinary regime” for “having published content on her VKontakte page”, the Russian equivalent of Facebook.
According to the specialized NGO Setevye Svobodi, which helps political prisoners, the accused had shared “information on the number of Russian soldiers killed” and an “emotional video” on the conflict.
His brother “under the rubble”
Evgenia Maïboroda explained that she published these messages because “her brother found himself under the rubble of a building destroyed by gunfire in Dnipro”, in east-central Ukraine, Setevye Svobodi said on Telegram.
She pleaded guilty, but refused to admit having acted out of “hate” as the prosecution accused her of, said the NGO.
Since the Kremlin's offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of Russians critical of the conflict have been sentenced to fines and dozens of others to heavy prison terms.
Most opposition figures are in prison or have fled the country.