Translation:

The court approved the verdict of a military man in the case of military “fakes” due to conversations with colleagues

On October 21, the First Eastern District Military Court confirmed the verdict of military officer Alexei Orlov in the case of military “fakes” (Part 1 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by the press service of the court.

On August 18, the Krasnorechensk Garrison Military Court found Orlov guilty in the case of military “fakes,” and on June 21, in the case of insulting a serviceman (Part 2 of Article 336 of the Criminal Code).

Based on the totality of his crimes, the military man was sentenced to a fine of one million rubles. He was also given a restriction on military service for eight months, with 10% of his salary being withheld as state income, and was banned for two years from holding positions in the civil service related to the education of subordinates. Restriction on military service means deduction from the military personnel’s salary to the state income and restriction on promotion in military rank

According to the press service of the appeal court, Orlov was charged with conversations with colleagues. According to the prosecution, he told them that the Russian military had committed “crimes related to the murder of civilians in Ukraine.” According to security officials, the man also allegedly said that the Russian military “are fascists occupying the territory of Ukraine.”

Since February 24, 2022—the first day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine—residents of Russian cities have been holding anti-war protests every day and talking about the tragedy online. Anti-war speeches and statements become grounds for criminal prosecution. At the moment, more than 750 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our infographic.

Article 207.3 (Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation) was included in the Criminal Code in March 2022 - in this way the authorities responded to anti-war speeches and statements, as well as the dissemination of information about the war that does not come from official Russian sources. The maximum penalty under this article is 15 years in prison.