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The Mirny City Court in Arkhangelsk Region has fined local resident Lidiya Prudovskaya 200,000 roubles (about US$2,200) in absentia. She is accused of repeat “discrediting” of the army (Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code), reports Activatica.

Prudovskaya herself told the publication about the verdict. The decision was announced on 5 June.

During closing arguments, the prosecutor requested two years in a penal settlement colony and a one-year ban on managing internet resources.

Prudovskaya is currently in a European Union country.

The case against her was opened almost two years ago. The grounds were several anti-war posts on VKontakte. At the time the criminal case was initiated, Prudovskaya already had a previous administrative offence conviction under a similar article—also for social media posts about the war.

In July 2023, a detective summoned Prudovskaya for questioning, as well as her two children—at the time, aged nine and ten. The children were questioned as witnesses in their mother’s case.

Soon after, she was placed under a travel ban. In March 2024, while the court was already examining the case, Prudovskaya left Russia with her children. Following this, the court arrested her in absentia and put her on a wanted list.

In April 2024, Prudovskaya was stripped of her parental rights in absentia in relation to her 12-year-old adopted son. The guardianship authorities unilaterally terminated the adoption agreement, citing Prudovskaya’s failure to inform them of her child’s new place of residence. The Ministry of Internal Affairs later declared the boy wanted.

OVD-Info has reported in detail on how Prudovskaya lived in the closed military town without concealing her anti-war stance, how her children were interrogated, and the family’s journey to France.