A Russian man was sentenced to three years in prison for condemning massacres in Ukraine, in particular in Bucha.

Repression continues in Russia. A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a documentary filmmaker to three years in prison for posting social media posts condemning mass killings attributed to the Russian army in Ukraine.

Vsevolod Korolev, a 36-year-old documentary filmmaker and poet, is accused by Moscow of publishing “false” messages about “mass killings of civilians” on the Russian social network Vkontakte between mid-March and mid-April 2022. » in the Ukrainian cities of Bucha, Borodyanka and Donetsk.

Ukraine accuses Russian troops of killing hundreds of civilians in Bucha and Borodyanka near Kiev when they occupied the towns in the spring of 2022. Even if numerous independent media, including Le Parisien, and non-governmental organizations have confirmed these accusations, Moscow denies and condemns, staging and suppresses in Russia any criticism of its offensive with fines and prison sentences.

In a statement, the Vyborg District Court of St. Petersburg, the country’s second city, said Vsevolod Korolev was found guilty of “spreading false information” about the Russian army. According to the NGO Memorial, he was arrested in July 2022.

Another person convicted

Before that, in particular, he made films about the repressions against artist Alexandra Skotchilenko and journalist Maria Ponomarenko, who are serving long sentences in Russia for condemning Vladimir Putin’s attack on Kyiv.

On Tuesday, a court in Volgograd (southwest) also sentenced to five years in prison a man accused of “spreading false information” after posting online messages condemning the massacre of civilians in Ukraine. According to RIA Novosti, the man refused to plead guilty and unsuccessfully tried to appeal the verdict.