Russian municipal deputy sentenced to 7 years in prison for "spreading fakes about the army"

Russian MP convicted of “discrediting the armed forces”

The Meshchansky Court of Moscow has sentenced Aleksey Gorinov, a municipal deputy of the Krasnoselsky district of the Russian capital, to seven years in a penal colony for spreading fake news about the Russian army and the war in Ukraine, a Novaya Gazeta Europe correspondent reports from the courtroom.

Judge Olesya Mendeleeva found Gorinov guilty of spreading “knowingly false information” about the Russian armed forces as part of a group of people who had used their official position for reasons of hatred or enmity.

According to the prosecution, on March 15, Gorinov and the head of the Krasnoselsky municipal district, Elena Kotenochkina, during a meeting of the Council of Deputies, made a number of statements “containing data about the armed forces of the Russian Federation that do not correspond to reality”.

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In particular, Gorinov called the “special operation” in Ukraine a “war” and talked about the death of Ukrainian children. This information, according to the state prosecution, contradicts the official information of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, and thus Gorinov and Kotenochkin misled an unlimited number of people.

A similar case was brought against Kotenochkina, but she managed to leave Russia. She was put on the international wanted list and arrested in absentia.

“For five months, Russia has been conducting hostilities on the territory of a neighboring state, bashfully calling it a “special military operation”. We are promised victory and glory. Why, then, do so many of my fellow citizens feel shame and guilt?”, Gorinov said in his last speech at the trial.

“Why do many people leave Russia and why do they keep leaving? And why did our country suddenly get so many enemies? Maybe there is something wrong with us? Let’s think about it! Give us a chance to at least talk about what’s going on. Exchange opinions. This is, after all, our constitutional right! In fact, that’s exactly what I did”.

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After the armed invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Russian authorities introduced criminal liability for disseminating information about the war in Ukraine that differs from the official point of view. The punishment for this is up to 15 years in prison.

Gorinov’s case is one of the first to come to trial under this article. According to human rights activists, hundreds more cases are under investigation.