Press Release, 14.04.2022

Photo: Mikhail Afanasyev / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

A criminal case has been filed against Mikhail Afanasyev, a member of the Yabloko party and Editor-in-Chief of the Novy Focus media in Abakan, Khakiassia. The Criminal case is filed under Article 207.3, Part 2, Paragraph “a”, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. He is charged with dissemination of false information about the armed forces of the Russian Federation using his official position.

According to the Centre for the Protection of Media Rights, an investigator and several police officers came to Afanasyev’s house and his mother’s house with searches on 13 April. Computers, means of communication and data storage media were confiscated. After that, Mikhail was taken to the Investigative Committee.

A publication on the website of  the New Focus, which ran that 11 riot police from Khakassia refused to go to Ukraine, attracted the attention of the investigators. The investigation considers the information about the number of the killed, wounded and missing, about the poor proсurement and bad management of the National Guard from Khakassia on the territory of Ukraine be fakes.

The punishment under the article on fakes, taking into account the position of Mikhail Afanasyev, may be a large fine from of 3 to 5 million roubles, corrective labour up to five years or imprisonment for a term from five to ten years.

Mikhail Afanasyev is now detained for 48 hours until a preventive measure is chosen. The criminal case is being conducted by an investigator for especially important cases of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia.

Read more about the persecution of Yabloko members after the start of the “special operation”.