The Ministry of Internal Affairs has put the writer Boris Akunin (Grigory Chkhartishvili) on the wanted list. attention to this . drew Mediazona
against Akunin In December, a criminal case was opened under articles on military “fakes” (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) and public calls for terrorism (Article 205.2). Before this, pro-Kremlin pranksters Vovan and Lexus published a conversation with him, as well as with writer Dmitry Bykov. In them, bloggers pretended to be representatives of the Ukrainian administration. In the video, both men “reacted with understanding to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strikes on Russian territory, and Akunin clarified that he organized a fundraiser to help Ukraine,” Dozhd wrote.
That same month, the Ministry of Justice added Akunin to the register of “foreign agents.” In addition, theaters began to cancel performances based on his plays, and bookstores began to withdraw his works from sale. Also, the Zakharov publishing house, which published the writer’s books, was searched.
Akunin has not lived in Russia since 2014. He has also repeatedly spoken out against Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- 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 800 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our infographic .
- 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.