A woman from Udmurtia was fined 310,000 roubles (about US$3,400) for the comment: “Burn the witch.”

The Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg has fined 38-year-old Evgeniya Rogozina, a resident of Udmurtia, 310,000 roubles (about US$3,400), finding her guilty of inciting terrorism (part 2, article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). This was reported by Mediazona.

The grounds for prosecution was a comment Rogozina made under a post about a statement by Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut regarding the rising price of butter. The minister explained the price increase by pointing to rising incomes among Russians and increased demand for butter. In response to this news, the Udmurtia resident wrote: “Burn the witch!”

The prosecutor had requested a fine of 650,000 roubles (about US$7,100) for the woman, Mediazona reported.

The comment attributed to Rogozina is no longer under the post. She told the court she had deleted it in the investigator’s presence, explaining her words as an emotional outburst: “Because here in Mozhga, we have our own production, our own cows, our own ‘Mozhga Cheese’ dairy, and yet the prices keep rising: how can this be, it just can’t be.”

The woman also said she had initially given her testimony under pressure from law enforcement: she signed a prepared statement brought by the investigator without reading it. That statement said Rogozina was dissatisfied with living conditions in Russia and, in her comment, referred to “causing injury and moral suffering to the minister.”

In court, Rogozina said she loves Russia and supports the state in everything. “What’s written there, that I acted deliberately and that I am against the state—that’s not true,” she added.

The defence pointed out in court that Rogozina had issued a written apology to the head of the Agriculture Ministry.

The woman was detained on 12 February. She was initially placed under house arrest, but in June, her preventive measure was toughened and Rogozina was remanded in custody. The court took this decision due to repeated violations of her house arrest conditions.

18:18 In court, Rogozina also emphasised that her comment did not contain “the criminal intent attributed by the prosecution.” She promised not to post anything else online again.

“This whole situation has been a major lesson in my life. I will never, ever comment on anything again,” Evgeniya Rogozina said in court.

This article has been updated following information about the verdict.