A Russian court in annexed Crimea has fined a local resident 50,000 rubles after she sang the Ukrainian anthem and posted a video on social media. A resident of Bakhchisaray was found guilty under an administrative article on the so-called discrediting of the Russian army.
According to Mediazona, most likely, we are talking about Evelina Memetova. Earlier, she posted a video with the performance of the Ukrainian anthem in stories. The video was noticed by one of the pro-Kremlin telegram channels. Its authors began persecution.
The Crimean woman fully admitted her guilt and repented of her deed, according to a press release from the court.
Against the backdrop of persecution by the Russian pro-government channel, Memetova apologized and said that she supported the hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, and called the performance of the anthem a mistake.
- An administrative article about discrediting the Russian army appeared shortly after its attack on Ukraine. For example, the use of the word “war” rather than “special military operation” in relation to the war with Ukraine is considered discrediting in Russia. The article provides for a fine of up to 50 thousand rubles, for repeated violation of it, a criminal case with a punishment of up to five years in prison is threatened.
- According to Mediazona, since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine, almost six thousand cases have been opened under an administrative article on discrediting the Russian army. During the year of the war, almost 20,000 Russians were detained for their anti-war position, the OVD-Info human rights project calculated.
