War

One thousand thirty-fifth day. Zelensky criticizes the Prime Minister of Slovakia for visiting Putin. Tatyana Lazareva was sentenced in absentia to six and a half years in prison

Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. Our chronicle is published once a day, and in it we dwell in detail on several key stories that are affecting the course of the war right now. We also publish your letters in these materials, because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Please share with us your opinion on whether the war will end in 2025 - and how it might end. Find the feedback form at the end of this article. You can read the previous day's review here .

Ukraine

Zelensky criticizes Fico for visiting Putin

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stepped up his criticism of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who held talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin on gas supplies.

“We fight for life, Fico fights for money, and hardly for money for Slovakia. Shadow agreements with Putin are either trading in state interests or working for one’s own pocket,” Zelensky said in an evening address on December 23.

Zelensky also said that Ukraine offered Slovakia compensation for losses due to the termination of the transit of Russian gas, but Fico refused. The Ukrainian president did not specify where Kyiv could get the money for this compensation.

Slovakia is one of the few remaining consumers of Russian pipeline gas in Europe. This gas comes in transit through Ukraine, but the Russian-Ukrainian transit agreement expires on December 31, and Kyiv has stated that it does not intend to extend it.

Fico arrived in Moscow on December 22; his visit was not officially announced in advance. Following the meeting, Fico said that Putin confirmed Moscow’s readiness to continue gas supplies if Ukraine agrees to transit.

The conflict between Fico and Zelensky became public a few days earlier, after a meeting of EU heads of state in Brussels, in which the Ukrainian president also took part. Fico accused Zelensky that Slovakia, due to his refusal to continue gas transit, would face a gas crisis.

Fico had difficult relations with Ukraine even before the gas issue. He built his election campaign in 2023 under the slogans of ending military aid to Kyiv - as a result, after his election, he softened his position and did not interfere with supplies from Slovak business, nor block relevant decisions at the European level. In Europe, many politicians and major media accuse Fico, like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, of “pro-Russian” views and criticize that his position prevents Europe from presenting a united front against Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.

Russia

Tatyana Lazareva received six and a half years in absentia for “justifying terrorism”

The 2nd Western District Military Court sentenced TV presenter Tatyana Lazareva in absentia to six and a half years in prison under the article on justification of terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The state prosecutor asked for exactly this period of time for Lazareva; the court took only a few hours after the debate between the parties to pronounce a verdict. The defense said it would appeal the verdict.

Lazareva was tried in absentia; during the trial she did not admit guilt. The TV presenter has been put on the international wanted list; her sentence will be counted from the moment of her detention or extradition to Russia.

A criminal case against Lazareva was opened in May 2024 based on a complaint from State Duma deputy Andrei Alshevskikh because of the TV presenter’s words in an interview about Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia. “It’s terrible, but I’m happy,” she said.

Lazareva left Russia after the start of the war and repeatedly publicly criticized the actions of the Russian authorities. In July 2022, she was declared a “foreign agent,” and in June 2024, Rosfinmonitoring added her to its list of terrorists and extremists.

The article on justification of terrorism is the second most popular “corpus delicti” in criminal cases initiated for anti-war statements. According to the human rights project OVD-Info, 228 criminal cases have been opened under this article since the beginning of the war. More cases were opened only under the article about “fake news” about the army - 347 cases. In total, since the beginning of the war, at least 1,114 people have been subjected to criminal prosecution for their anti-war position, of which 348 received actual sentences.

In September, actor Alexei Panin received six years in absentia for “justifying terrorism,” while former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev was sentenced to 10 years in absentia. At the end of November, the court extended the sentence for “justifying terrorism” for former municipal deputy Alexei Gorinov, the first in Russia convicted of “fakes” about the army, by three years. The court considered Gorinov’s conversations with other prisoners about the explosion on the Crimean Bridge and the Azov unit to be a “justification for terrorism.”

The writer Boris Akunin and the great-granddaughter of Valery Chkalov, Daria Bogdanova, are currently under investigation for “justification of terrorism” in connection with anti-war statements. They live outside the Russian Federation.

War through the eyes of Meduza readers

Maria, St. Petersburg . <…> I live with the deep confidence that my life is basically over; I still have obligations to my child: to raise him, not to let him become dead. Not once since then have I thought that something good would ever happen, I just don’t believe in it.

<…> My daughter and I live in a Khrushchev building with excellent audibility. A family of prison workers lives behind the wall, and I work from home and have to listen to snippets of their kitchen conversations. The worst thing is when guests come to them, and they vying with each other and start talking about NATO and the collective West.

Absolutely all of my relatives support the war (at least it’s good that they live far from me), my second cousin is at the front, and my uncles periodically announce a collection in messengers for the needs of “our guys.” And my 70-year-old mother sends money from her pension of 14 thousand either to a drone or to a UAZ. In the first months, I still tried to convince her of something, but it was useless. She watches TV and feels the same trust in Putin that many felt in 2000. She scolds everyone, but Putin is a holy man for her. In general, I have a feeling that everyone around me is for the war, and only publications like yours help me remember that I have not gone crazy yet.

I am very worried about my daughter. <…> The school is thoroughly saturated with propaganda and is very reminiscent of one of those pictures that the longer you look at, the more terrible details you discover. The leadership ardently supports the war and everything that comes out of Putin’s mouth. Among the employees there are many elderly women who yearn for the USSR and tell their children how wonderful it was. <…> My daughter is in the 7th grade and is studying somehow, although she is not stupid. It is important for her to respect the teacher in order to try. But after the absurdity she hears at school, it’s very difficult for me to convince her that these people should be listened to. It’s terrible that I have to remind her not to say too much, even in front of her friends. There are many children in the class who support the war, and if there are teachers who are against it, they sit quietly. I also sit and have always sat. I only participate in safe events and have never spoken on social networks. The reason is that I value my freedom, whatever it may be, because I am raising my daughter alone. No one will help her if they take me away. <…>.

When the war began, I told my daughter everything that same morning. She asked: “Why haven’t we left yet?” This question is in my head every day. We didn't leave because we don't have money. There is no pillow that will allow you to spend at least a month in a new place. I often read stories of those who left and am always amazed at how little I earn. I can’t run to nowhere just to escape yet.

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