The court will hear the appeal against the sentence of a journalist from Khabarovsk, a major city in Russia’s Far East, over reposts about Bucha.

The Khabarovsk Regional Court will review the prosecutor’s appeal against journalist Sergei Mingazov’s sentence under the “military fakes” law (part 1, Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) on 19 June, due to his reposts about Bucha. This was reported by “Govorit NeMoskva.”

In February, Mingazov was sentenced to a fine of 700,000 rubles (about US$7,700); the prosecutor had requested a six-year prison term. After the verdict, the journalist raised the money to pay the fine; the prosecutor’s office did not appeal within the two weeks required by law but filed an appeal late in early May. Later, a court allowed the late filing—without inviting Mingazov or his lawyer to the hearing.

The prosecutor’s office insists that the convicted person was motivated by hatred and enmity. The first instance court did not consider the expert analysis, in which the specialist reviewed Mingazov’s personal Instagram page and commented on his oppositional views. Both sides confirmed in court that there is no new evidence.

In his final statement, the journalist said that, because of his journalistic experience, he had published a range of opinions—including official statements by the Russian authorities. He noted that he admitted guilt during the investigation stage, when the case involved only one repost from Dmitry Kolezev’s channel, and said he did not understand why two more posts had been added to the charges or why a motive of hatred had been included.