Russia has opened more than 3,300 cases for ‘discrediting’ the army, according to an NGO

The NGO “Setevye Svobody” did the math: dSince the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian police have already opened more than 3,300 cases for “discrediting the army”. Which makes an average of “35 reports per working day”. By revealing its figures on Friday July 22, the NGO, which provides legal aid to people who are victims of political repression in Russia, specifies that it was based on data from the Russian Ministry of the Interior, between March 4 and July 14. .

The offence, which came into force in early March to silence critics of the offensive in Ukraine, is punishable by fines of up to 100,000 rubles (1,700 euros) for an ordinary individual and up to one million rubles ( 17,000 euros) for a legal person. It is up to a court, after a hearing, to set the fine. According to the NGO, Russian courts have already ordered more than 1,500 fines for “discredit” of the army for a total of more than 50 million rubles (845,000 euros).

The slightest criticism of the offensive in Ukraine, in the public space or on social networks, can lead to prosecution. According to the specialized NGO OVD-Info, nearly 200 people who denounced the intervention in Ukraine have also been prosecuted in Russia in the context of criminal cases, punishable by very heavy prison sentences. On July 8, a Muscovite elected official, Alexeï Gorinov, was sentenced to seven years in prison for “dissemination of misleading information” on the Russian military after publicly condemning the assault on Ukraine.