Russia on Tuesday (14/11) sentenced a man to six years in prison for defacing posters of Russian soldiers decorated as heroes fighting in Ukraine.
Moscow has banned criticism of the attack on Ukraine and punished thousands of its citizens for criticizing the military campaign.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the man’s sentence came after he was found guilty of discrediting the Russian army, under a law set to silence criticism and vandalism.
The committee did not name the man, saying he was 46 years old and a local resident of the city of Tolyatti, where the posters had been defaced.
Human rights group Memorial identified the man as a teacher named Alexei Arbuzenko. “The investigation and court determined that in 2022, the assailant (as the man is known) repeatedly defaced posters depicting Russian servicemen showing heroism in special military operations,” said the committee, which uses Moscow’s name for the attack.
The committee also stated that when giving testimony, the perpetrator involved his young son. “The court sentenced him to six years in prison, to be served in a general correctional institution,” the statement added.
Local news website 69.ru in the Samari region published CCTV footage showing two people throwing something at a large billboard on the side of the main road.
The Memorial Institute said that Arbuzenko was a teacher, psychologist, speech therapist, writer and musician. He added that the man was sentenced in a closed court, without witnesses or mass media.
Human rights groups also said that Arbuzenko was active in social activist circles in Tolyatti, publishing books of poetry and literature, and also playing the guitar.
Russian cities have been decorated with photos and images of their soldiers fighting in Ukraine, with Moscow portraying their long offensive in an exclusively positive light. (ns/em)