Blog post by Alexander Goncharenko, 28.02.2023

Photo: Alexander Goncharenko / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

According to local media, a pensioner from Novoaltaysk was found guilty of “discrediting the use of the Russian army” as part of a “special operation”.

A 69-year-old man, put likes under photographs and publications on the topic of “discrediting the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation” as part of a “special military operation”. By decision of the Novoaltaysky City Court, he was brought to administrative responsibility for the relevant offense under  Article 20.3.3, Part 1, of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. The pensioner was fined 15,000 roubles.

Earlier, in October 2022, the Shipunovsky District Court ruled to bring to administrative responsibility a 75-year-old local woman who published a poem online, which, as it was established in the proceedings, “discredited” the Russian armed forces.

When passing the verdict, the court took into account the offender’s age and state of her health, the absence of aggravating circumstances, and the fact that the woman had not previously been held accountable for any kind of offenses. The court made a “humane” decision by issuing a fine of 30,000 roubles to the pensioner [an average pension in Altai amounts to 16,000 roubles].

Alexei Argunov, a teacher, was a pioneer in been brought to administrative responsibility for “likes” in the Altai Territory. In July 2022, the Leninsky District Court of Barnaul imposed a fine on Alexei Argunov, a teacher of philosophy at the Barnaul Medical College, for an administrative violation under Article 20.3.3, Part 1, of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (“public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the RF Armed Forces”). The sanction amounted to 30,000 roubles. The court ruling runs that the man “publicly expressed his emotions in the form of putting a “sad” emoji to the publication “The leader of the Altai Yabloko Alexander Goncharenko was convicted of “discrediting the armed forces” thereby posting it on his page. In addition, the court mentioned other activities of the defender in social networks. For example, he put a like to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s video about the events in Ukraine. Subsequently, he was fired from his post as a teacher of philosophy at the Barnaul Basic Medical College.

With the start of the Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine, the flywheel of repression in Russia has been gaining momentum.

According to the independent human rights media project OVD-Info, 19,586 people were detained in Russia during protests against the war and mobilisation in 240 settlements in 78 regions in the period from 24 February, 2022, to 15 February, 2023. According to OVD-Info, the authorities actively used the Code of Administrative Offenses against the participants in the rallies – a total of 18,183 cases were recorded under the “prohibited rallies” articles and 5,846 cases were reported under the new article on “discrediting the Armed Forces.” At least 447 people were prosecuted in connection with anti-war protests, and 128 of them are in custody.

At present, the number of political prisoners in Russia is greater than in the USSR during the reign of Leonid Brezhnev.

It common knowledge, that if one is tightening the screw for a long time, it may wrench off.

Alexander Goncharenko

is a member of the Federal Bureau of Yabloko and Chairman of the Yabloko branch in the Altai Territory. Human rights defender. Candidate of medical sciences.