The Kremlin passed a law last year that allows it to imprison journalists and publishers who disseminate what it considers to be false information about the military and the Ukraine conflict, which it refers to as a “special military operation.”
A Russian court has incarcerated the founder of an opposition Telegram channel, alleging him of disseminating false information about the country’s military.
Dmitry Ivanov will reside in a colony for more than eight years.
Last year, the Kremlin passed a law making it illegal to publish false information about its conflict in Ukraine.
Mr. Ivanov, a former student from the University of Moscow, will also be unable to have any presence on the internet for four years after his parole.
Using a Telegram channel for students at his university, he reportedly spoke out against Russian military attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility and the murder of civilians in Bucha.
According to Amnesty International, he also uploaded a video message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and called for protests in Russia.
He has also referred to the military action in Ukraine as a “war,” as opposed to the Kremlin’s favored term of “special military operation.”
Images and videos on Telegram depict Mr. Ivanov shrugging his shoulders and beaming and laughing as the sentence is read.
He maintained his innocence and stood by his initial comments.
“Discrediting” the army publicly in Russia can bring a punishment of up to 15 years in prison.
