Krasnodar man sentenced to six years in prison for posting about murders of civilians in Bucha, Mariupol

A court in Russia’s Krasnodar has sentenced local man Alexander Somryakov, 37, to six years in prison for posting about the killings of civilians in Ukraine, as per the court.

The initial sentence issued was in April by a district court, and now it has been confirmed by a superior court. Somryakov was found guilty of “spreading fake news about the military” due to “political hatred”. He was also banned from posting anything online for four years.

The court says that Somryakov had accused Russia’s military of attacking a maternity ward and a theatre in Mariupol, and “massively massacred civilians”, as well as “killing 260 people in the town of Bucha”. The man was then detained by the FSB.

According to the court, Somryakov pleaded guilty on some of the charges and admitted he had “been posting false information to gain likes, followers, and comments”.

A Kaliningrad court sentenced Igor Baryshnikov, a local activist, to 7.5 years in prison for “fake news about the military” on 22 June. He was also posting about the killings of civilians in Mariupol and Bucha. Baryshnikov has been taking care of his mother, 96. He has a chronic condition and may have cancer.