A resident of Ivanovo was finally charged in the case of anti-war leaflets and picketing

Olga Nazarenko, a defendant in the “anti-war case” from Ivanovo, was finally charged under articles of discrediting the Russian army (Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code) and of repeated violations of “rally” legislation (Article 212.2 of the Criminal Code); the investigation into her case ended. This was reported by OVD-Info lawyer Oscar Cherdzhiev, who represents her interests.

The initiation of a case under the article on repeated discrediting of the army against Nazarenko became known in September 2022: then they came to search the activist’s home. The reason was anti-war leaflets, which, according to investigators, she posted on August 10 and September 6 of the same year. During the investigation, security forces seized two posters from the woman: “Uzurputin on the bunk! Navalny freedom!” and “Putin, withdraw your troops!”

Before the initiation of a criminal case, Nazarenko was fined 40 thousand under the administrative article on discrediting the army (Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code). A protocol was drawn up against her because of a single picket with a poster containing a quote from the Ukrainian poetess Lina Kostenko “And no matter what you tell anyone, we can overcome all evil!” (“And no matter what anyone says to anyone, evil will disappear and truth will win”).

In October 2022, the activistbecame a suspect under the “Dada” article. This case was opened because of a picket in support of Nikita Uvarov, convicted in the “Kan teenagers” case, and three anti-war pickets. Two of them are with posters “No to war” and “I am a Russian against war. Putin to The Hague” - Nazarenko held in February. The third - with a poster against the war and in support of people who became political prisoners because of their anti-war position - September 10, 2022 .

After the initiation of the second criminal case, Nazarenko was suspended from teaching at the State Medical Academy.

In December 2022, Nazarenko was charged under the article on repeated discrediting of the Russian Army (Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code) and under the “ Dada ” article on repeated violation of the procedure for holding public events (Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code). And in January, the accused was given a non-disclosure agreement.

In May 2022, the woman was also searched as part of a case of vandalism (Part 1 of Article 214 of the Criminal Code), which was brought against local activist Sergei Veselov because of the inscription “No to war” on the administration building of the city of Shuya, Ivanovo region.

Nazarenko is under recognizance not to leave.

• Since February 24, 2022—the first day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine—residents of Russian cities have been holding anti-war protests every day and talking about the tragedy online. Anti-war speeches and statements become grounds for criminal prosecution. At the moment, more than 550 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our infographic .
• 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 seven years in prison.
• Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code - “Dadinskaya” - punishes repeated violations of the rules for holding events. The first person convicted under this article was activist Ildar Dadin. In 2017, in connection with the criminal prosecution of Dadin, the Constitutional Court recommended that cases under this article be initiated only if the actions of the alleged violator constituted a threat to society. Despite these recommendations, Russian security forces continue to use Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code to put pressure on opposition activists, even if their actions did not create a threat to society.