Detentions, trials and pressure over anti-war statements and criticism of the war in Ukraine: Human rights news, court updates & analysis | 152 related articles

20.10.2025

20:31

Police considered Noize MC’s song “Svetlaya Polosa” (“Bright Streak”) as discrediting the army, because Ukrainians listen to it during drone attacks, reports “Rotonda.”

St Petersburg police, in the record drawn up against singer Naoko (Diana Loginova), referred to a comment by a Noize MC fan from Ukraine. The fan wrote that they played the track during drone attacks on Kyiv and felt support from the musician.

The protocol states: “Thus, through both the song ‘Svetlaya Polosa’ itself and the comment regarding its release, Alekseyev I.A. is shaping a negative societal view of the Russian Federation’s special military operation.”

This probably refers to a post from last year in which Noize MC shared a message from a fan. The fan wrote: “The track and the visuals give exactly the emotion that is so lacking now—the belief that we will all get through this.”

The detained singer wrote the following in her explanation attached to the record: “I disagree with the contents.”

Currently, the lead singer of Stoptime, Naoko, who performed anti-war songs and tracks by artists labelled as ‘foreign agents’ at street gigs in St Petersburg, is serving a 13-day arrest for organising a mass simultaneous gathering of people in a public place (Art. 20.2.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences). After this, the court is expected to consider two further charges against her for discrediting the army (Part 1, Art. 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The guitarist and drummer of Stoptime have also received administrative arrests.

18:53

Saint Petersburg

The Dzerzhinsky District Court of St Petersburg has fined Yegor Shramko 40,000 rubles (US$440) under the article on “discrediting the army” (part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) because of a solo protest with a placard reading: “No to war with Ukraine.” This was reported by Bumaga, citing the head of the city courts’ press service, Darya Lebedeva.

Shramko was detained on 17 October on Palace Square. For three days following his detention, OVD-Info legal defenders were not allowed to visit him. As a result, they were unable to represent him or defend his interests in court.

Today, around 17:30, Shramko told OVD-Info that he was now at home. He said he had spent nearly three days in various police departments in St Petersburg.

He was first brought to Police Station No. 78. According to Shramko, the officers who arrested him wrote two reports—one for “discrediting the army” and another for violating rules on holding protests (Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code). They also drew up a protocol for “petty hooliganism” (Article 20.1 of the Administrative Code). The activist spent two nights in Station No. 78.

On 19 October, he was then taken to Police Station No. 28. There, he was handed another petty hooliganism protocol, which alleged he was swearing near that police department. Shramko said he was fined 500 rubles (US$5.50). The activist spent another day in Station No. 28.

Today, 20 October, at around 13:00-14:00, he was taken to court in handcuffs. Following examination of the protocol on “discrediting the army,” Shramko was released.

It remains unclear whether a protocol was also drawn up under the protest-related article. One officer at Station No. 78 told him he would be jailed under that article for 10–12 days, while another denied that he was facing such charges.

17.10.2025

17:11

Saint Petersburg

In St Petersburg, Egor Shramko was detained with a placard reading “No war with Ukraine” in Palace Square in St Petersburg. He himself reported this to OVD-Info.

Police were called by animators dressed as Catherine II. An OVD-Info lawyer, Igor Skachko, went to the detainee.

20 October According to a report from RusNews, after 48 hours had passed since Egor Shramko’s detention, journalists were waiting outside the police station, but the activist never emerged. Police, however, claimed that he had left the station. Since then, Shramko has not contacted either his family or his lawyer and has not been seen online.

For the Friday protest in Palace Square, Shramko was charged with discrediting the army, taking part in an unauthorised public event, and petty hooliganism. Two of these offences can result in arrest. Vladimir Vasilenko, a defender from OVD-Info, went to look for Shramko at the Dzerzhinsky Court.

13:11 The OVD-Info defender, Vladimir Vasilenko, did not find Egor Shramko at the police station, in the temporary detention centre, or at the court

17.09.2025

18:56

Stavropol Krai

A court in Stavropol fined Russian citizen Vitaly Kuznetsov, who lives in the United States, 30,000 roubles (approximately US$330) over Instagram posts and comments about Putin, the singer SHAMAN, and well-known people leaving Russia. This was reported by Verstka.

Kuznetsov was found guilty of “discrediting the Russian army” (under Article 20.3.3, Part 1 of the Administrative Code). The court ruling says he posted a photo of a person “who, by outward appearances, resembles the Russian singer SHAMAN, walking down the street.” Under the photograph, Kuznetsov wrote: No one has ever so brazenly and so openly cosplayed Hitler’s Nazis. Now they’re just outright saying: ‘Yes, we’re Nazis, so what? ’

In addition, the court considered another of Kuznetsov’s comments about harsher laws on “discrediting” the armed forces to be discrediting. “In other words, it’s not the soldiers who kill, rape and rob that are discrediting the Russian army, but the fact that someone says it out loud. Classic,” Kuznetsov commented on an RBC publication. The Stavropol court also included another 15 comments in the charges.

16:24

Sverdlovsk Oblast

A junior researcher at Ural Federal University (UrFU), Danil Tukanov, has been charged with an offence under the article on “discrediting the Russian army” (Part 1, Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code). He himself reported this to OVD-Info.

FSB officers came to the researcher’s home. Tukanov said he was forced face down on the floor. At first, the officers threatened him with torture, then they showed the young man a document stating that he was a Ukrainian agent being directed by a handler. After that, Tukanov was taken to the police station, where the protocol was drawn up.

The grounds for administrative prosecution were comments Tukanov posted in 2022 in the VKontakte group “Typical Yekaterinburg” (Yekaterinburg is a major city in the Urals).

15.09.2025

16:38

Chelyabinsk Oblast

The Kalininsky District Court in Chelyabinsk has fined Milana Milovanova, a 34-year-old local resident, 40,000 roubles (approx. US$440) over a three-year-old post on VKontakte. This was reported by the “Chelyabinsk of the Future” channel.

The grounds for the fine under the “discrediting” article (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) was Milovanova’s post about Mariupol from 1 June 2022. The protocol against her was drawn up on 10 September this year.

“I loved you so much, you were a wonderful city. RIP. What kind of barbarians must you be to destroy such a beautiful city and its people. I am ashamed of Russia, forgive me, my Ukrainian friends, the people did not want this war, it was wanted by one not very good person, forgive us for our ruler, we didn’t choose him…,” read the post by the Chelyabinsk resident.

According to her, the security forces only noticed the post after so long because recently Milovanova’s husband, who had been convicted under an “extremism” article also for comments, was released on parole.

“They are constantly looking for something to pick on, to dig up. My husband was imprisoned for comments, he’s only been out on parole for a month—and then they came for us again. At six in the morning they took us, along with the child, to the police department and kept us there until evening. My husband may still face court for calling police ‘cops’ in a chat, and he could be sent to a penal colony,” the woman says.

The Chelyabinsk resident notes that the fine in her case was issued taking into account a mitigating circumstance—her young daughter.

“I’m on parental leave, my daughter is constantly ill, I can’t go back to work. Two days at nursery—then a month off sick,” added Milana Milovanova.

08.09.2025

17:17

Primorsky Krai

In Ussuriysk, a major city in Russia’s Far East, a teacher at the RZD Lyceum was fined under the article on “discrediting the army” (part 1, article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) over a school performance for Victory Day featuring the song “Cancel the War.” The court’s decision was highlighted by “Verstka.”

The court considered the case of Dina Anishchik on 3 July. The teacher was fined 30,000 rubles (about US$340).

A protocol was drawn up against Anishchik after police saw a video recording of the performance, which was presented at the “Wonderland—2025” competition (junior schoolchildren took part in it). In the protocol, law enforcement accused the teacher of “using children for the purposes of propagating a pro-Ukrainian position.”

According to the court decision, Anishchik, together with the schoolchildren, prepared a Victory Day performance featuring the song with the lyrics: “Kind, good adults, cancel the war.” The performance also included drawings with the phrase “No to war!” in Russian, English, and Ukrainian.

At trial, the teacher did not admit guilt. She explained that the performance was part of a play, and that a specialist from Vladivostok State University who interpreted it as discreditation of the army did not take the entire production into account.

Anishchik also said that using foreign languages is not prohibited by law: she chose Ukrainian because both Russian and Ukrainian people took part in the Second World War. “The English language is international, and the inscription in English shows that the whole world is against war,” the teacher’s testimony was summarised.

Judge Anastasia Gerasimchuk concluded that the children’s performance “called for an end to the special military operation” and found the woman guilty.

The teacher has appealed the decision issued by the court of first instance.

According to information on the website of the Ussuriysk RZD Lyceum, Anishchik has 35 years’ work experience in her field. She has been employed at the Lyceum since 2001 and has led the Rainbow theatre club for primary school pupils since 2007.

The song “Cancel the War” was written in 2016, with lyrics by Tatyana Vetrova. The song is regularly performed at children’s competitions.

04.09.2025

11:31

Sverdlovsk Oblast

In Yekaterinburg, a lawyer, Vera Mangileva, was fined 45,000 roubles (approximately US$500) over a post marking the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, where she called for peace.

The Verkh-Isetsky District Court found her guilty of “discrediting the army” (Article 20.3.3, Part 1 of the Administrative Code), reported the press service of the Sverdlovsk Region courts.

The lawyer was fined for a post about the war in Ukraine:

“Three years of war… The initial aims were announced as demilitarisation and denazification. The goals have changed, been added to, and flipped multiple times over these three years. But the most terrible thing is the deaths of people! For some, these deaths have become routine news… It is important to remember that this is not normal! We need PEACE!”

On 29 August, police lay in wait for Mangileva at the Sverdlovsk Regional Court—where she was acting as a defence lawyer representing a local activist. Law enforcement officers demanded she go with them to the station to be formally charged. The lawyer refused, as her presence was not required for that procedure.

Mangileva represents activists from Yekaterinburg (a major city in the Urals), and has also defended the local Memorial group in court. In 2023, she ran for the city duma on behalf of Yabloko.

03.09.2025

16:17

Sverdlovsk Oblast

The judge of the Verkh-Isetsky District Court in Yekaterinburg has sent back to the police the record relating to the charge of “discrediting the army” (part 1, article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) drawn up against Vyacheslav Shmyrov, head of the Yeltsin Centre’s film club. This was reported by Mediazona.

The administrative case against the film expert was initiated because of a “No to war” post he published on Facebook on the second day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 25 February 2022.

The record against Shmyrov was drawn up following a report by K.S. Zots, an officer from the Centre “E” of the Interior Ministry for Sverdlovsk Region. The judge returned it to the police as Shmyrov had not been notified of the “repeated drawing up of the record.”

Shmyrov did not plead guilty. His defence requested the case be closed, arguing that the word “war” is not “discrediting” and that even Vladimir Putin uses it to describe the situation in Ukraine. The lawyer also noted that a post on Facebook cannot be considered public as this social network is blocked in Russia.

On 20 August, the same judge, Ekaterina Geiger, fined Yeltsin Centre deputy director Lyudmila Telen 45,000 roubles (approximately US$500). A record was drawn up against her for reposting a publication by Boris Yeltsin’s daughter with the words: “No to war.” The administrative case against Telen for discrediting the army was launched following an appeal to the prosecutor’s office by State Duma deputy Mikhail Delyagin.

29.08.2025

17:02

Bryansk Oblast

In Bryansk Region, a history and social studies teacher was dismissed from her school due to anti-war statements, according to information on the website of the Navlinsky District Court.

A resident of the town of Navlya was dismissed from the Shcheglovskaya Secondary School for “repeated statements discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in connection with the special military operation.”

The teacher filed a lawsuit demanding to be reinstated at work and for the school to pay her her wages for the period of forced absence, as well as compensation for moral damages.

The court rejected the claim, ruling that the woman had not proved her dismissal was unlawful. In making its decision, the court took into account earlier rulings holding the teacher administratively liable under protocols for “discrediting the army” (part 1, article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

The rulings under the “discrediting” protocols were handed down by the same court. In April and May 2025, the woman was fined twice, each time 30,000 roubles (about US$330), for her posts on VKontakte, the Russian social network. The actual content of the posts was not given in the rulings, but it was specified that the statements were “aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation… and the actions of the Russian leadership in the course of the special military operation in Ukraine.”

The first time, the teacher did not attend court, but in May she was present at the hearing. She did not plead guilty and insisted that she was merely “expressing [her] opinion about the events taking place, was outraged by the killing of 9 people by soldiers, and commented on the Russian soldiers, not the Russian army.”

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Detentions, trials and pressure over anti-war statements and criticism of the war in Ukraine

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