The article “on discrediting the armed forces,” introduced by Russia, is an attempt to establish control over the occupied territories—experts

The article in the Russian Criminal Code “on discrediting the Russian armed forces” appeared after the full-scale invasion had already begun. Human rights activists are convinced that Russia was attempting to establish control over society and suppress any expressions of criticism. These are the findings of a study conducted in Ukraine on the persecution of “disloyal” Crimeans for “discrediting” the Russian army.

Ksenia Kornienko, a senior lawyer at the Regional Center for Human Rights and co-author of the report, spoke about this during a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center. 

“We examined 1,529 rulings by the occupation courts in Crimea to demonstrate the systematic nature of this practice. About 80% of all cases involving discrediting were initiated at the request of law enforcement agencies. The occupying forces’ police and FSB have special units that monitor Crimeans’ social media accounts in order to accuse them of discrediting the army,” she said.

According to Ksenia Kornienko, the fine for defamation for individuals ranges from 30,000 to 50,000 rubles. As for criminal liability, the maximum sentence under this article is 15 years.

Experts note that Russians can be convicted under this article on completely unfounded grounds. As an example, there was a ruling by the Nizhnegorsk District Court, where an elderly woman who sold underwear was accused of discrediting the state.

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