A Russian court fined a retired lawyer 1 million rubles ($12,400), the equivalent of about four years of pension payments, for making an anti-war post on her social media account in the days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian prosecutor had requested a 3-year prison sentence for Marina Novikova for posting “fake” information about Russia’s invasion to her 170 Telegram followers in March 2022.
Novikova, a 65-year-old retired lawyer living in the Tomsk region, told the court she preferred prison as she did not have the money to pay the fine. The average yearly pension in the region is about $3,100.
President Vladimir Putin in March 2022 signed into law legislation that essentially criminalized any criticism of the army and the invasion of Ukraine. Novikova was among the first to be swept up under the new legislation.
Those laws are part of a suite of repressive measures that have come into force since the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as the Kremlin seeks to squash any dissent. Dozens, if not hundreds, have been charged under the various measures, and some jailed for long sentences.
Novikova was charged for posts she made on March 15, 2022, following a conversation she had with a friend living in Kyiv.
She said her friend stopped hiding in the bunker because it was too much for her health, saying if worse came to worse, she was prepared to die if her building was struck by a Russian missile.
Novikova said she was initially surprised that few people commented on her post, but eventually came to realize that they "don't want to understand what is happening in Ukraine."
She said one friend turned on her, becoming a witness for the prosecution, while other friends declined to come to her defense. Novikova said one even went so far as to deny even knowing her.
She also claimed her lawyer and doctors at a local clinic undermined her defense case. Russian authorities often bully witnesses to strengthen their cases.
Novikova said she was disappointed with the people around her.
"I did everything I could to make my fellow citizens hear me and make the right choice to stand on the side of good and light," Novikova said before sentencing.