Rosaliya Kozlovskaya, head of school No. 12 in Kazan, was fined 170,000 rubles (about US$1,900) under an army ‘discreditation’ protocol (Part 1, Article 20.3… of the Administrative Offences Code) because of a link to the website of the Jewish Agency for Israel (“Sokhnut”).
The decision was made back in April, but the court ruling was only published on 10 June. The media outlet “Idel.Realii” reported this.
According to the court ruling, a link to the “Heftsiba” educational programme on the Sokhnut agency’s website, which works on repatriation to Israel, was posted on the website of School No. 12, which people in Kazan call the “Jewish school.” The link led to the Russian-language version of the site.
Prosecutors drew up the protocol against Kozlovskaya because the English-language version of the site had a “Help Jews in Ukraine” section about assistance for Jews in Ukraine, which mentioned the war and ways to help people in Ukraine.
The prosecution considered the following passages to constitute army discreditation:
“Russia attacked several Ukrainian cities from the air and Russian ground troops entered Ukraine from several directions. The war is ongoing, with hundreds of civilians killed and millions fleeing for their lives. From the start of the war, the Jewish Agency has been on the front line, saving Jews from Ukraine, with staff on the ground, many of whom are risking their lives to rescue the Jewish national community.”
“While the war continues, the Jews of Ukraine are desperately in need of our help. The Jewish Agency is working on the ground to help Ukrainian Jews who wish to quickly and safely make aliyah to Israel, as well as supporting and protecting members of the local Ukrainian Jewish community who have chosen to stay. But we need your support. Donate today; every dollar helps Ukrainian Jews in this unimaginable crisis.”
Discreditation was also found in a video featuring Ukrainian refugees (spelling as in the court’s ruling): “We lived in Kyiv before the war and worked… And now for the second time we are fleeing from the Russian war… We travelled for more than 2 weeks trying to find a place because all cities were taking in people from central and eastern Ukraine. We slept in the bathroom or in the corridor… For the first time we were able to sleep well, you know, not wandering anywhere, not hearing any sirens.”
Kozlovskaya did not admit guilt. She said she had not posted these materials, and pointed out that the content in question was in other sections and in the English-language version of the website. Judge Artur Kiselev judged this argument “untenable.”
The same link also became the basis for a second protocol against the school’s director, accusing her of inciting hatred (Article 20.3.1 of the Administrative Offences Code), and she was fined 17,000 rubles (about US$190). The ruling quotes an expert’s opinion that the same passages show “certain indirect linguistic signs of inciting enmity” towards Russians.
Kozlovskaya has appealed both rulings. The appeal is scheduled to be heard on 25 June.
The link that triggered the prosecution was posted in the “International Cooperation” section. That section is now empty on the school website.
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On 17 May 2024, Alexander Zumorin was detained outside the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow while holding a sign reading: “No to war.” / Photo provided by the detainee’s wife