Ivanovo activist was interrogated in a criminal case of discrediting the military

In the Ivanovo region, security forces interrogated Olga Nazarenko in a criminal case about repeated discrediting of the Russian Army (Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code). She walks over it as a suspect. This was reported by lawyer from OVD-Info Oscar Cherdzhiev.

On September 20, Nazarenko’s work was searched. The activist works at the Medical Academy, she is an assistant professor in the department of pharmacology. During the investigation, security forces seized two posters “Uzurputin on the bunk! Navalny freedom!” and “Putin, withdraw your troops!” The operatives completed the search at Nazarenko’s work and went to her apartment.

Before this, the activist had already been searched in May - as part of a case of vandalism (Part 1 of Article 214 of the Criminal Code), which was opened due to the inscription “No to war” on the administration building of the city of Shuya, Ivanovo region. The activist was given the status of a witness; Shuya resident Sergei Veselov is a suspect in the case.

Nazarenko repeatedly went to peaceful protests - because of this, she was brought to administrative responsibility. In March, a woman was fined 75 thousand rubles because of a solo anti-war picket, under the charge of protesting . In May, the activist was sentenced to 180 hours of compulsory labor under the same article of the Administrative Code because of a picket in support of political prisoners.

• This is not the first criminal case of repeated discrediting of the Russian army in the Ivanovo region. Thus, Shuya resident Sergei Veselov became involved in two cases under this article - the reason for them was videos on Veselov’s YouTube channel and his speech in court during the consideration of the appeal.
• Article 280.3 was included in the Criminal Code in March 2022 - in this way the government 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. Dissenters are persecuted not only under the new article of the Criminal Code - in this guide, OVD-Info talks about how and against whom criminal cases are brought for an anti-war position.