In St. Petersburg, there are already 10 cases of “fake” about the Russian army. We talk about the accused – journalists, activists, a priest and a treasure hunter
On Tuesday, October 25, a suspect was detained in St. Petersburg in the ninth case of “fakes” about the Russian army. It turned out to be political scientist Yevgeny Bestuzhev, a member of the political council of the Solidarity movement. The court sent the 62-year-old Petersburger under arrest until December 15.
There are already 70 “fake” cases across the country. First real sentence according to them confirms that the repressions are real: the Moscow Mundep Aleksey Gorinov was assigned 7 years in prison.
“Paper” tells what the defendants in the St. Petersburg “fake” cases did in peacetime and wartime and why they are being persecuted.
UPD. The material was updated on November 10 in connection with the appearance of a new person involved
Sasha Skochilenko
Who. 31-year-old Petersburger, artist, poetess and ex-employee of Paper. Sasha loves to make music and work with children. He suffers from cyclothymia, a milder form of bipolar affective disorder. Created “book about depression- to support people with similar health problems. She openly opposed the war in Ukraine and decided not to emigrate from Russia. Arrested.
What are they being pursued for? For anti-war leaflets inserted into the price tag compartments of the Perekrestok store on the first floor of the Shkipersky Mall mall on Vasilyevsky Island. A 75-year-old pensioner turned to law enforcement agencies with a complaint about the pictures.
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. The investigation believes that she distributed leaflets “motivated by political hostility.”
What to read about the case. Longread “Paper” about how Sasha’s case began, and about her personality. Telegram channel “Freedom for Sasha Skochilenko!”.
Maria Ponomarenko
Who. 44-year-old RusNews journalist from Barnaul, who recently moved to St. Petersburg. She covered protest actions, single pickets in Barnaul and sometimes in Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg. She was detained several times while working at rallies. She has two daughters – 13 and 16 years old. Arrested, transported to Barnaul.
What are they being pursued for? For a post about the destroyed theater in Mariupol in the opposition telegram channel “Our days» for 1.6 thousand people. It covered the war in Ukraine. By the channel can be other authors. Ponomarenko herself calls criminal prosecution in revenge for social activities in Altai.
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. The investigation also saw in the actions of Ponomarenko “motives of political hatred.”
What to read about the case. Material “Paper” about the case against Ponomarenko. Telegram channel “Freedom for Maria Ponomarenko!”.
Alexander Nevzorov
Who. 63-year-old journalist, former TV presenter, ex-deputy of the State Duma of Russia. Known as the author and host of the 600 Seconds program, which was released in the late 1980s. Currently running a telegram channelNevzorov”, which is signed by 1.1 million people, writes about the war in Ukraine. Contributed to the register of media-“foreign agents”. emigrated, received Ukrainian citizenship. Wanted.
What are they being pursued for? For the publication, according to investigators, “deliberately false information about the deliberate shelling of a maternity hospital in the city of Mariupol by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” Nevzorov posted about the tragedy in Mariupol on March 9 on Instagram, and on March 20 on YouTube.
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. The investigation believes that he wrote posts about the shelling of Mariupol “motivated by political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred.”
What to read about the case. Interview Nevzorov “Medusa”.
Olga Smirnova
Who. 54-year-old civic activist from St. Petersburg, one of the founders of the indefinite action in support of the Crimean Tatars “Strategy 18”, a member of the St. Petersburg movement“Peaceful resistance”, which, according to the description, “spreads the truth about the criminal large-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.” After a search in the case of fakes on the door of Smirnova wrote: “TRAITOR”. Arrested.
What are they being pursued for? For publications on the Internet against the “military special operation”.
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. She is charged with “spreading fakes about the RF Armed Forces,” committed by a group of people out of selfish motives and motivated by hatred.
What to read about the case. Telegram channel “Freedom for Olga Smirnova!”.
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Victoria Petrova
Who. 28-year-old Petersburger, project manager in a small firm. She lived in a rented apartment with a cat Marusya. She spoke out against the war in Ukraine, including on the page on VKontakte with 250 friends and 50 subscribers. By words lawyers, “Vika is an ordinary girl”: she got into a “political” case, although she was not involved in activism, journalism or politics. Arrested.
What are they being pursued for? For a post on a personal page on VKontakte with videos from Ukraine. Victoria’s lawyer Anastasia Pilipenko said that the post contained “a negative assessment of those people who [войну] admitted and approved.
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. The investigation also saw “motives for political hatred” in the publication of the post.
What to read about the case. Interview “Paper” with lawyer Victoria Petrova. Decryption rather bright speech of the defendant in court about the war in Ukraine. Telegram channel “Freedom for Vika Petrova!”.
Boris Romanov
Who. 36-year-old civil activist. Founded the projectLiving Library”, ran for the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg. He is a member of the monitoring group under the Human Rights Council of St. Petersburg. He regularly attended meetings of the Svetlanovskoye municipal council and broadcasted the meetings in his VKontakte group. In February, Romanov, along with other activists built there is a pile of snow at the door of the county administration. So they wanted to remind the municipal authorities about the problems of cleaning.
What are they being pursued for? For a pacifist speech at a meeting of the council of deputies of the Svetlanovskoye municipal district, a recording of which Romanov published in the Svetlanovsky Neighbors group.
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. The prosecution believes that Romanov’s statements were motivated by political hatred. Investigators also said they found “extremist materials” in Romanov’s apartment.
What to read about the case. Text “Sever.Realii” about Boris Romanov. Telegram channel “Freedom to Boris Romanov!”.
John Kurmoyarov
Who. 54-year-old ex-priest. In 2020, he criticized the new temple of the Ministry of Defense: Kurmoyarov outraged “Soviet symbols and Hitler’s cap”. The new temple is also named “pagan temple”. After that, the priest moved to Petersburg, where Settled for secular work. In April of this year, Kurmoyarov deprived dignity for “active media activities in support of the nationalist regime of Ukraine.” The man also said that a few years earlier he had to leave Ukraine, where he judged “for congratulating veterans on Victory Day,” or rather, for a Facebook post with a St. George ribbon. Arrested.
What are they being pursued for? For 8 minutes video clip entitled “Who will be in hell and who in heaven?” on the situation in Ukraine, published on the channel “Orthodox Virtual Parish” with 5,000 subscribers. In the video, Kurmoyarov says: “They end up in paradise… ‘blessed are the peacemakers. <…> And those who unleashed aggression, they will not be in paradise.”
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. The investigation sees motives of hatred in the words of the former priest.
What to see about the case. Video “OVD-Info” about the Kurmoyarov case.
Oleg Belousov
Who. 55-year-old treasure hunter, officially unemployed. Belousov is not a professional archaeologist, but for many years he has been fond of searching for valuables. Arrested.
What are they being pursued for? For comments in the public “Petersburg diggers”, screenshots of which carried an acquaintance of Belousov to the police (having decided that Oleg was “rocking the boat”).
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. According to investigators, Belousov left comments motivated by hatred.
What to read about the case. Material MR7 about who and why denounced Belousov.
Vsevolod Korolyov
Who. A 34-year-old documentary filmmaker from St. Petersburg who worked on a project about defendants in cases of “military fakes”. Made films about Sasha Skochilenko and Maria Ponomarenko. A few years ago, I worked as a volunteer in the Perspectives fund for helping people with disabilities and in the St. Petersburg Observers organization, which monitors election violations. He went to rallies in support of Navalny. Wrote for the magazine “Discourse”. He openly opposed the war in Ukraine in social networks, publishing poems and news on this topic. At the time of publication of the text (July 12) is under interrogation.
What are they being pursued for? For spreading “false” information on the Internet about the actions of the Russian army in Bucha, Borodyanka and Donetsk. Which one is unknown.
How much threatens. From 5 to 10 years in a colony. Presumably, the investigation also saw hate motives in the publications.
What to read about the case. Material “Paper” about Vsevolod Korolyov.
Evgeny Bestuzhev
Who. 62-year-old political scientist Yevgeny Bestuzhev is a member of the political council of the movement “Solidarity”. In the early 1990s, he coordinated the Democratic Russia movement, which held demonstrations and, in particular, demanded liberal reforms, the resignation of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and the dissolution of the CPSU.
What are they being pursued for? The case file mentions 12 posts from VKontakte. Prior to his arrest, the political scientist published anti-war posts on Facebook. For example, he wrotethat “the destruction of Putin’s Mordor is the only means of saving human civilization.”
By words Bestuzhev’s friend Georg Gabrielyan, a political scientist in the summer, “was summoned to talk with the investigator about his posts in social networks.” After that, Bestuzhev left for Georgia “just to relax.” In October, Yevgeny returned to St. Petersburg, and five days later he was detained.
How much threatens. Imprisonment from 5 to 10 years. According to investigators, Bestuzhev spread “fakes motivated by political hatred.”
What to read and see. Posts from profile Bestuzhev on Facebook, interview political scientist from 2016.
What else to read:
- How to wash yourself from a bottle in 6 minutes and take a walk in a 2 × 5 meter room? Sasha Skochilenko – about a month in jail.
- “I came to the trial from Veliky Novgorod.” Like strangers came to support Sasha Skochilenko.
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The political movement “Solidarity” was founded in 2008. According to the organization’s website, the movement positions itself as a coalition of democratic forces in Russia.
Solidarity members criticize the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the state monopolization of the economy.
