In the Leningrad region, a protocol was drawn up on incitement to hatred due to a painting by Vasya Lozhkin

An administrative protocol was drawn up against a resident of the village of Siversky in the Leningrad Region, Alexander Pravdin, under the article of inciting hatred or enmity (Article 20.3.1 of the Administrative Code) because of a poster with a painting by artist Vasya Lozhkin “The Great Beautiful Russia”. This was reported by the publication Sever.Realii.

Pravdin regularly hangs protest posters in the park in the center of the village. He posted Lozhkin’s painting in March; In the offense report, the police described the picture as follows: “Other countries around Russia were named with words aimed at inciting hatred or enmity.”

In addition, in the administrative case, security forces claim that in March Pravdin also got into a fight with a local resident named Boytsov. The latter wanted to remove the “No to War” poster from the square, which is why Pravdin “hit Boytsov in the chest with his fist” and called him “to fight around the corner.”

The activist claims that such a situation did not exist, and “they tried to make him out to be a brawler and a hooligan,” writes Sibir.Realii. The man believes that the protocol was drawn up after a denunciation from people close to the village administration.

In July, a report was already drawn up against Pravdin under the article of inciting hatred because of another poster - with the inscription “Russians, you are inhuman.” Subsequently, the Gatchina City Court returned this protocol to the police.

• Vasya Lozhkin’s painting “Great Beautiful Russia” depicts a geographical map on which the Russian Federation is labeled according to its name, and the surrounding countries are labeled with offensive characteristics of the peoples living in them. In 2016, a court in Novosibirsk declared the work extremist. It is known that after this, a resident of St. Petersburg was summoned for questioning because of the publication of the picture on VKontakte, and in Vladimir a criminal case was opened against the activist for inciting hatred or enmity (Article 282 of the Criminal Code). In 2018, the Novosibirsk Regional Court overturned the decision to recognize the film as extremist.