A resident of Maykop is being tried for an article about “fake stories” about the Russian army.

The Maykop City Court is considering the case of local resident Elena Sumina under the article on “fake news” about the Russian army (Part 1 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). Kavkaz.Realii drew attention to the case file on the court’s website.

The case materials were received by the court in early September, the first hearing took place on September 19.

At this time, the details of the case are unknown. Sumina’s lawyer Fatima Bzhemukhova refused to provide Kavkaz.Realii with any information about the case.

• Since February 24—the first day of the “special operation” in Ukraine—residents of Russian cities have been going out to anti-war rallies every day and talking about the tragedy online. Anti-war speeches and statements become grounds for criminal prosecution. At the moment, more than 240 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our guide .
• Article 207.3 was included in the Criminal Code in March 2022 - in this way the authorities responded to anti-war speeches and statements, as well as the dissemination of information about the war that did not come from official Russian sources. The maximum penalty under this article is 15 years in prison.