A student from Arkhangelsk has had her house arrest extended as part of an “anti-war case”

The Primorsky District Court of the Arkhangelsk Region extended house arrest until March 12 for student Olesya Krivtsova. The girl is accused in the case of repeated discrediting of the army (Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code) and of public justification of terrorism (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code). This is reported by SOTA.

Krivtsova's house arrest was ordered on January 4. The investigation asked to imprison her in a pre-trial detention center, citing the fact that unknown people bought the accused tickets to Perm and Kazan. “Neither she, nor her mother and other close people did this,” representatives of the detainee’s support group previously reported . The day before the trial to select a preventive measure, the girl was detained by security forces and taken for questioning to the Investigative Committee.

At the end of December 2022, the same court ordered the student to prohibit certain actions. Krivtsova was banned from using the Internet and other means of communication, as well as receiving and sending mail and telegrams. At the same time, you can use communication means to communicate with an educational institution or investigator. These restrictions remain in effect during house arrest.

On January 22, Krivtsova’s tracking bracelet falsely triggered three times while the accused was at home. Krivtsova’s mother and sister, as well as a journalist, saw this. The next day, FSIN employees took an explanation from the girl.

The case under the article on repeated discrediting of the army against Krivtsova was opened due to a repost on VKontakte of an anti-war publication by activist Ilya Leshukov, and the case on public justification of terrorism was opened because of Instagram stories about the explosion on the Crimean Bridge. Both cases were opened on December 13, 2022, and three days later the girl’s home was searched.

A criminal case under Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code for repeated discrediting of the Russian Army can be initiated against those who have been prosecuted at least once under a similar administrative article (Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) during the year. On May 30, 2022, Krivtsova was fined 30 thousand rubles under the article on discrediting the Russian army due to an anti-war leaflet. The court's decision came into force.

• 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 430 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our guide .
• Article 280.3 (Public actions aimed at discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation) 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 does not come from official Russian sources. The maximum penalty under the article is five years in prison.
• The activation of a bracelet that tracks the location of the defendant may become the basis for charges of violating the conditions of house arrest and transfer to a pre-trial detention center. Thus, in Adygea, on October 3, 2022, due to the activation of a tracking bracelet, Roman Taganov, convicted in a criminal case of violence against a police officer (Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code), was placed in a pre-trial detention center. Hewas released on October 13, a week after the appellate court approved the suspended sentence. In October 2022, environmental activist from Komi and a defendant in the criminal case of repeated discrediting of the Russian Army (Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code) Alexey Semenov was charged with eight violations of the conditions of house arrest due to a malfunction of the bracelet.