Testimonies on the Boutcha massacre | Russian blogger sentenced to 5 and a half years in prison for reading on Twitch

(Moscow) A Moscow court on Wednesday sentenced Russian blogger Anna Badditionova to five and a half years in prison for reading testimonies on the Twitch platform about the massacre attributed to Russia in the Ukrainian town of Boucha.

“Disgusting, disgusting, shitty!” », Reacted the 30-year-old young woman from the glass cage reserved for the accused in the courtroom, according to AFP journalists present at the trial.

The Ostankino district court in northern Moscow recognized Mr.^me Badditionova guilty of “spreading false information” about alleged abuses by the Russian army in Ukraine, on her YokoBovich channel on Twitch, a live video service.

“It’s a harsh verdict, we will appeal,” said defense lawyer Andrei Nevrev.

The Russian army is accused of committing a massacre of hundreds of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, near Kyiv during its retreat from the region in spring 2022.

Moscow rejects these accusations and denounces Western staging, despite the numerous testimonies, clues and evidence implicating the Russian military.

In June 2023, M^me Badditionova had read live testimonies from the inhabitants of Boutcha, accusing the Russian soldiers of the massacre. Russian “patriotic” bloggers supporting the Russian offensive against Ukraine filed a complaint against the young woman.

Two months later, police came to his home, confiscating the audiovisual equipment. His channel on Twitch which operated for seven years was blocked.

Since the start of its offensive against Ukraine, Russia has engaged in merciless repression of critics of power and the assault.

A number of personalities and anonymous people have been sentenced to prison terms after being accused of spreading false information discrediting Russian forces.

In April 2024, Sergei Mingazov, a Russian journalist for the Russian edition of the media Forbes, was arrested for publications on the Boutcha massacre.

Opponent Ilia Iachine was sentenced at the end of 2022 to eight and a half years in prison for denouncing “the murder of civilians” in this same Ukrainian city.