PROKOPYEVSK, Russia -- A prosecutor has asked a court in the Siberian region of Kemerovo to convict and sentence a former correspondent for RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities project to 11 months of correctional work over social-media posts he made saying Russian forces attacked civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
The prosecutor also asked the court on February 9 to bar Andrei Novashov from posting any materials online for two years.
Novashov pleaded not guilty and rejected the charge of distributing false information about Russia's armed forces involved in Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine launched almost a year ago.
Novashov, whose trial started in June 2022, posted articles written by another journalist about the war in Ukraine. His lawyer, Maria Yankina, insists that the charges against her client are baseless, as the Russian Defense Ministry had not been able to officially reject the information her client reposted.
Several days after launching his invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin signed into law legislation that calls for lengthy prison terms for distributing "deliberately false information" about Russian military operations as the Kremlin seeks to control the narrative about its war in Ukraine.
The law envisages sentences of up to 10 years in prison for individuals convicted of an offense, while the penalty for the distribution of "deliberately false information" about the Russian military that leads to "serious consequences" is 15 years in prison.
It also makes it illegal "to make calls against the use of Russian troops to protect the interests of Russia" or "for discrediting such use" with a possible penalty of up to three years in prison. The same provision applies to calls for sanctions against Russia.
Since the invasion was launched, many journalists have fled Russia after or before they faced such charges.