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.

  • @[email protected]English
    9•1 year ago

    I was a little confused by the smile too, assuming she was no older than 30. Losing 6 years of your youth seems harder than 6 years in your 50s. Although it depends on the conditions she’s kept in.

    • @AeonFelisEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      If you go into the article, there is a little caption in the corner of the image that says “Social Media”. So I guess this picture was from before her arrest?

    • Flying SquidMEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      As someone close to 50, it sure as hell doesn’t to me.