Moscow's Basmanny district court on October 21 sentenced Oscar-nominated film producer Oleksandr Rodnyanskiy to 8 1/2 years jail in absentia for spreading "fake" information about the Russian military. Rodnyanskiy, 63, was accused of publishing reports about the shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol by Russian troops in 2022, attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, and other events during the war. Rodnyanskiy said the case was related to his "anti-war posts on Instagram" and that he strongly disagreed with the verdict. "No Basmanny court can stop me from speaking loudly and doing what I have been doing all my life, making films," he said on Telegram. Rodnyanskiy was born in Kyiv but spent most of his career in Russia, producing dozens of TV series and films, including the Oscar-nominated crime drama Leviathan. He left the country shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To read the full story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Russian Film Producer Rodnyanskiy Sentenced To 8 1/2 Years In Absentia
Russian film producer Oleksandr Rodnyanskiy said the case was related to his "anti-war posts on Instagram." (file photo)