Resident of Sochi accused of discrediting Russian Armed Forces

A chat discussion about the special military operation in Ukraine and quotes from an investigation about President Vladimir Putin became the reason for the police to draw up a protocol on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces against a resident of Sochi.

Policemen detained the resident of Sochi at his working place, after which they took him to a hospital. The policemen explained that they wanted to “ask him about his health state.” At the hospital, they gave him some paper to sign, after which they took him to a police station, where they photographed and fingerprinted him. Then the man was released with an obligation to come to the police station at request, he himself told the human rights project “OVD-Info”*.

According to the resident of Sochi, the reason for the police to draw up a protocol against him on an administrative violation was a discussion in a chat where the special military operation in Ukraine had been discussed. The protocol also recorded that in his posts, the man was quoting fragments of the FBK’s** investigation about President Vladimir Putin, the “OVD-Info”* reports on its website.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.

**The Anti-Corruption Foundation (known as FBK) was included into the register of foreign agents, recognized as an extremist organization, and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation.