Image: (APA/AFP/NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA)
In March of the previous year, in two comments he condemned the attacks by the Russian military against the Ukrainian capital Kiev and the port city of Mariupol, the Russian medium “Meduza”, which works from Latvia, reported on Thursday. The court found him guilty of spreading “fakes” about the Russian army.
“While killing children, we sing songs on Channel One; We Russia have become godless – Lord forgive us,” read a post by the man on WKontakt. In his second comment he wrote “Russian planes bomb children”.
“Life is an unconditional value”
In his closing words in court, the man stated that he valued everyone’s life as the reason for his comments. “Life is an unconditional value that should come first, even if it is not seen that way in our country,” he was quoted as saying by “Meduza”. “I was raised that way.”
Russian legislation provides harsh penalties for any criticism of the armed forces or the conduct of the war in neighboring Ukraine.
Daughter painted war picture
On the other hand, a father whose daughter painted an anti-war picture was sentenced to two years in a prison camp. He was arrested while trying to escape. The man was arrested in the ex-Soviet Republic of Belarus “at the request of the Russian police,” the Ministry of the Interior in Minsk said on Thursday, according to the RBK portal. The 54-year-old was sentenced to two years in a prison camp by a Russian court on Wednesday.
Belarus, as Russia’s closest ally – both countries form a union state – is likely to extradite the man. Officially, the allegations against the man revolve around critical entries on social networks. According to the prosecutor, he had “repeatedly discredited” the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. The defendant denied the allegations and fled house arrest before sentencing.
Wave of solidarity for father
For the single father there is a wave of solidarity in Russia. Even the head of Wagner’s private army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had demanded that the daughter and father, who were currently living in the home, be left alone. Due to the many Russian war casualties in Ukraine, there are already so many children who have to grow up without a father. In contrast, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov publicly questioned the man’s educational abilities. The media, on the other hand, published a letter from the girl who expressed her love for her father and hoped to be together soon.
A drawing by the daughter got the case rolling. When the teacher asked the children to draw pictures in support of Russian forces in Ukraine, the then 12-year-old drew a Russian and Ukrainian flag, which she captioned the slogans “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine.” The school called the police. A day later, the father was taken to the police station and fined him. When his daughter’s comments critical of the war also appeared on the Internet in the winter, the authorities searched his home and initiated criminal proceedings against him.
Source: Nachrichten
