Russian court arrests in absentia 20-year-old student Olesya Krivtsova, accused of ‘discrediting’ Russian forces and ‘justifying terrorism’

A district court in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia has arrested in absentia 20-year-old student Olesya Krivtsova, accused of “discrediting” the Russian army and publicly “justifying terrorism”, correspondent for media outlet SOTA present at the court hearing reports.

The prosecutor’s motion on arresting the woman for two months from the moment of actual detention has been granted.

Earlier today, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs put the student on the wanted list.

On 15 March, Krivtsova was able to flee Russia despite wearing an ankle bracelet after having been put on house arrest. She is currently in Lithuania.

She was confined to house arrest from the beginning of January 2023. Furthermore, the investigators wanted her to be put in custody.

Criminal cases against Krivtsova were initiated because of her Instagram Stories and messages in a private Telegram chat with her fellow students, in which she spoke out against the war.

On 10 January, Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service put Krivtsova on the list of terrorists and extremists.