An Irkutsk woman has been sentenced to 420 hours of community service for a photo with Hitler.

20-year-old Alina Khodzhiyeva from Irkutsk, a major city in Siberia, has been sentenced to 420 hours of compulsory community service in a case concerning repeated demonstration of extremist symbols (Article 282.4 of the Russian Criminal Code). This was reported by ‘Ostorozhno, Novosti’ (“Caution, news”).

In March 2024, Khodzhiyeva and a friend put up several anti-war slogans on lampposts in central Irkutsk, calling for participation in the “Noon Against Putin” protest, and sent photos of these to a bot run by an opposition channel.

The same night, police detained both women. In March, the Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk jailed Khodzhiyeva for seven days in a case over showing banned symbols (Part 1 Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code). In April, the same court fined her 40,000 rubles (approx. US$440) for “discrediting the army” (Part 1 Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code). The women explained to police that they took part in the protest because a friend had been killed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Later, FSB officers examined Khodzhiyeva’s social media and found a saved image of Adolf Hitler. Because of this, a criminal case was opened against her for repeated demonstration of banned symbols.

Khodzhiyeva admitted her guilt and expressed remorse. In addition to the compulsory community service, her phone used to send photos featuring Navalny to Telegram channels was confiscated for the benefit of the state.