Russian journalist on trial over remark that '20% of Georgia is occupied by Russia'
Trial against Russian journalist
A journalist from the Russian opposition outlet TV Rain (Dozhd) is standing trial in Russia over the statement that “20% of Georgia is occupied by Russia”.
The Tagansky District Court of Moscow has begun hearings in a criminal case against Valeria Kichigina, an editor at TV Rain. The outlet describes the case as unprecedented, saying it is the first criminal prosecution under the article on the so-called “discrediting of the Russian army” that is not directly linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The case includes two episodes. One relates to an Instagram post by Kichigina about the 2008 Russia–Georgia war, while the other concerns a repost of an article by her colleague, journalist Dmitry Kolezev.
According to the case materials, the investigation began in August 2023 in the city of Ufa. Authorities took notice of a post marking the anniversary of the war in Georgia, in which Kichigina wrote that “20% of Georgia’s territory has been occupied by Russia for 15 years”. At the time, the journalist was in Russia and left the country two weeks later. She was not questioned at the border.
Investigators formally opened the criminal case in November 2024. In January 2025, law enforcement officers searched her home. In March, Kichigina was arrested in absentia and placed on a wanted list.
The case file claims that the journalist “undermined the authority and discredited the Russian armed forces in the eyes of society, causing citizens who viewed the above-mentioned publications and videos to feel anxiety, fear, concern and a sense of vulnerability in relation to the state”.
Kichigina herself says the case is linked to her journalistic work. She argues that the prosecution effectively followed her reporting on the Baymak case — protests in Bashkortostan — and other sensitive topics.
“If they discovered a post back in 2023 that remained on my Instagram all this time, why did they not open a case earlier? Why only a year and a half later, and specifically in Ufa? I am registered in Moscow and have not lived in Ufa since 2015. The investigator deliberately searched for something — anything — and found nothing better than the war in Georgia,” Kichigina told TV Rain (Dozhd).
If convicted, the journalist could face up to ten years in prison on charges of spreading so-called “fake news” about the Russian army. She does not currently live in Russia.
Trial against Russian journalist
Trial against Russian journalist
