A court in the Russian city of St. Petersburg sentenced anti-war activist Olga Smirnova to six years in prison on August 30 on a charge of spreading fake news about the armed forces.

A court in the Russian city of St. Petersburg sentenced anti-war activist Olga Smirnova to six years in prison on August 30 on a charge of spreading fake news about the armed forces. Smirnova was also banned from administering websites for three years. Prosecutors asked for a seven-year sentence.

The 54-year-old activist of the Peaceful Resistance movement was arrested in May 2022. Investigators say she placed materials about Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine on the Internet that contradicted official Defense Ministry statements.

Smirnova pleaded not guilty, and her lawyers say they intend to appeal the decision.

  • vladEnglish
    42•1 year ago

    Here’s hoping they assassinate Putin soon.

    • @IchNichtenLichtenEnglish
      28•1 year ago

      Sadly there’s no guarantee that whoever would replace him would be better.

    • @SinningStromgaldEnglish
      4•1 year ago

      The question then is what kind of Russia will we get when the dust settles?

      • vladEnglish
        16•1 year ago

        I don’t know. But at this point things I’m not seeing a civil way out of the current situation.