A case was opened against a resident of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Piruz Peikrishvili, under the article of repeated discrediting of the army (Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code). OVD-Info drew attention to this.
The case materials were received by the Komsomolsk City Court on November 14. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for November 30. It is unknown what exactly the man is charged with.
In May, the Komsomolsk City Court fined Peikrishvili 30 thousand rubles under the article on discrediting the army (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code). The reason for this was a video that he published on his page on an unnamed social network. The video, according to security officials, “ causes a negative attitude ” towards Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the meeting, the man did not admit guilt.
“He believes that he did not violate the legislation of the Russian Federation. He does not consider himself a citizen of the Russian Federation, he handed over his passport, but he is not deprived of citizenship. He considers himself a citizen of the USSR,” the court ruling said.
- 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 750 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. On March 14, 2023, the State Duma adopted amendments increasing the maximum penalty under this article, since then it has been seven years in prison.