On November 18, 2024, the Izobilnensky District Court of the Stavropol Territory sentenced Sergei Shesterov to nine months of suspended imprisonment with deprivation of the right to use the Internet for a year under the article on repeated discrediting of the Russian Army (Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code), the text of the sentence was published on the court’s website.
Shesterov is charged with a certain publication on social networks. He fully admitted his guilt and applied for a minimum sentence without a trial. The reason was a stroke, due to which the convict is unable to pay the fine and serve his sentence in the form of compulsory labor.
On March 6, 2023, Shesterov was fined 30 thousand rubles under the administrative article on discrediting the army (Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) due to the fact that he “publicly expressed the phrases” “glory to Ukraine”, “No to war”, “Russia will lose the war” "etc."
- After the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian authorities began to react sharply to protest sentiments. The list of articles under which those who oppose the war are prosecuted is quite wide. Those involved in “anti-war cases” are often charged with hooliganism, vandalism, violence against government officials, and other violations. A significant element of pressure was also the articles introduced into the Criminal Code after the outbreak of hostilities - the spread of “fakes” about the Russian army and discrediting the armed forces.
- At the moment, more than 1,100 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our infographic .