Forbes Russia journalist detained over Bucha massacre repost

A journalist who writes for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine has been detained for spreading “false information” about the military, the magazine reported Friday.

Sergey Mingazov is now in a holding cell in the city of Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far East over a repost on his Telegram channel about the March 2022 massacre in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, his lawyer said.

The court in Khabarovsk will set pretrial restrictions on Mingazov on 27 April, human rights group OVD-Info said Friday. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison. Staff at Forbes have not yet been able to contact Mingazov.

In addition to his work for the Russian edition of Forbes, Mingazov runs multiple Telegram channels dealing with local issues. He has also previously worked for state-owned news agency TASS, the state-affiliated newspapers Vedomosti, Kommersant and Komsomolskaya Pravda and other publications.

The Russian army entered Bucha on 27 February 2022. The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the town on 31 March. Over 1,400 people died in Bucha during the 33 days it endured of Russian occupation, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among them 175 people who were found in mass graves and torture chambers.