Oleg Nepein, a deputy from the village of Khoperskoye who considers himself a “citizen of the USSR”, was sent for compulsory treatment, writes SOTA.
The Balashovsky District Court recognized that Nepein had spread “fakes” about the Russian army (clause “d”, part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), but exempted him from criminal liability due to a mental disorder discovered during a psychiatric examination.
The defendant is already in the Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital named after Hagia Sophia - he was sent there for three months on September 11. In June, the court sent Nepein to the same clinic for a forensic psychiatric examination, which concluded that the man suffered from a chronic mental disorder in the form of paranoid schizophrenia, which appeared in him “long before the crime was committed,” so he was not responsible for his actions could.
The deputy is being persecuted because of eight comments on the Saratov-Engels telegram channel. The security forces considered the information that Russian troops were suffering heavy losses, robbing the population of Ukraine, killing civilians, bombing Donetsk and Lugansk, “wiping out” Melitopol from the face of the Earth, dropping a bomb on a drama theater in Mariupol and killing residents of Bucha as fakes.
The initiation of a case under the article on “fake news” about the army (Part 1 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) against Nepein became known on December 5, 2022. As the deputy said, on December 1, a search was carried out at his home, as a result of which the security forces seized equipment. In January, the Investigative Committee made the charge more serious by charging the policy with the dissemination of false information motivated by hatred (clause “e”, part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). On May 18, Nepein was taken into custody.
In November 2022, Nepein reported that a criminal case had been opened against him under the article on repeated display of Nazi symbols (Article 282.4 of the Criminal Code). Information about this has not been confirmed. In August, Nepein was fined one thousand rubles under an administrative article on the demonstration of Nazi symbols (Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses): then, according to the activist, in the Saratov-Engels group, someone under his name posted a post with paraphernalia of Hitler’s Germany.
- At the beginning of 2021, Oleg Nepein, together with other activists, created the “Balashov Community” to solve local problems. The organizers submitted information to the Ministry of Justice about the creation of the community, after which the security forces began to demand that Nepein disclose the personal data of its participants. for refusing to provide data Nepein was fined ; soon after this, the activist said that he feared criminal prosecution in response to his action.
- 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 650 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our infographic .
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Article 207.3 (Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation) was included in the Criminal Code in March 2022 - in this way the authorities 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 this article is 15 years in prison.
- “Citizens of the USSR” is a movement uniting fighters for the restoration of the rights of citizens of the USSR. Followers of the organization believe that the Union continues to exist, and the Russian Federation is a “trading company.” Some of the participants in “Citizens of the USSR” refuse any ties with Russia as a state, for example, they do not sign any documents and notify local authorities of the need to vacate their posts. Supporters of Citizens of the USSR face various forms of pressure from the authorities, and some of their communities have been recognized as extremist organizations.