Prosecutor Asks Russian Court To Fine Kremlin Critic Roizman, But Doesn't Seek Jail Time

YEKATERINBURG, Russia -- The prosecution has asked a court in Russia's Ural city of Yekaterinburg to fine the city’s former mayor and outspoken Kremlin critic Yevgeny Roizman, for "repetitively discrediting the armed forces" involved in the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

The prosecutor on May 18 asked the Oktyabr (October) district court, to convict Roizman and order him to pay a fine of 260,000 rubles ($3,230), which means the politician will most likely avoid imprisonment on a charge that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.

Roizman, 60, who went on trial on April 26, has pleaded not guilty.

He was arrested in August last year and charged over statements he made on YouTube about Russia's war against Ukraine, launched in February 2022.

Since his arrest, Roizman has been barred from communicating with anyone without permission, using the Internet, telephones, mail, and attending public events. His communications were limited to family members and his lawyers.

In mid-March, while awaiting trial, Roizman was sentenced to 14 days in jail on a separate charge about the alleged distribution of extremist symbols.

Since leaving the post of mayor of the country's fourth-largest city in 2018, Roizman has gained a popular following for his campaigns to raise money for sick children. He is known for his regular jogs around the city, which attract supporters and journalists alike, while his penchant for crude language to mock authorities has bolstered his standing even further.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Roizman has been outspoken in his criticism of the conflict. He has been fined three times on misdemeanor charges of "discrediting" the Russian Army.

Shortly after the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law criminalizing any criticism regarding the armed forces or the conduct of the Ukraine war, which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation.”

Authorities have used the law to throttle any dissent. In April a Moscow court sentenced opposition politician and Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison on treason and other charges for criticizing the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.