Russian courts sentenced a woman to eight years in prison over her social media posts criticizing the war in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Anastasia Berezhinskaya, a 43-year-old theater director in Moscow, posted comments on the Russian social media network VKontakte that were hypercritical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She also seemingly called for the assassination of Putin, suggesting the Russian president be “killed” and “eliminated,” according to reports.
After the war in Ukraine started, Berezhinskaya made several posts accusing Russian soldiers of destroying cities and homes, hurting people, and killing civilians who were innocent and had nothing to do with the war. Regarding Putin, it was revealed that Berezhinskaya made the following comment: “Destroy that bastard. Wipe him off the face of the Earth.”
Moscow’s Second Western District Military Court found Berezhinskaya guilty on Nov. 14 on three charges: distributing false information about the Russian military, discrediting Russia’s armed forces, and justifying terrorism, RadioFreeEurope reported. The latter two are violations of Russia’s wartime censorship laws.
In court, Berezhinskaya took responsibility for some of her actions while denying her posts regarding Putin were legitimate calls to murder the Russian president. As a result, she pleaded “partially guilty” during her hearing, according to the Moscow Times.
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“Your honor, I have nothing to say, nothing to add. I will accept any decision you make,” Berezhinskaya said before the court issued its verdict.
Berezhinskaya is the mother of two children, ages 8 and 10, according to reports.
