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On 25 April, the Magadan City Court handed a suspended two-year sentence to local resident Yulia Morozova, finding her guilty on two counts of publicly “discrediting” the use of the Russian Armed Forces (Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code). OVD-Info located the case summary.

Morozova was accused of posting two anti-war comments in the “Vesy Magadan” Telegram channel. In the first, dated 28 July 2023, she wrote: “One day we will all be held responsible for these bastards in power. I’m willing to pay reparations to Ukraine, but you can’t bring back people’s relatives who have died. I’m ashamed of all this ****.” The court interpreted this comment as a “negative assessment” of the Russian authorities “in connection with the special military operation” in Ukraine.

The second comment, posted on 30 March 2023, contained these words:

“Don’t you realise that our people are being sent into pointless carnage in this war? Are you writing all sorts of **** about how migrants should be sent first? Aren’t you **** bothered by the question of why fight at all and send people to die?! And does it even matter what nationality they are? <…> In my family, starting with my grandparents, everyone was in the military—they all said in unison: may we never see war again. You have no **** brains, read history, especially about Hitler’s Nazism.”

In court Morozova fully admitted guilt and expressed remorse. She also requested that a verdict be issued without a trial.

The court sentenced the woman to one year and six months’ imprisonment for the first episode, and one year and eight months for the second. By partially combining the sentences, the court gave Morozova a suspended two-year term and banned her from publishing material online for two years.

The court considered her admission of guilt, her health, the fact she has a young child, and her elderly father, who has chronic medical conditions, as mitigating factors.

  • As shown on Yulia Morozova’s social media, she helps abandoned animals. In 2020, she ran for a seat in the Magadan city council with the Communist Party (CPRF), but lost to a United Russia candidate. In 2022, the Magadan resident was also fined on administrative charges for “discrediting the army” (Article 20.3.3, Part 1 of the Administrative Code).