Russia silences anti-war protests with legal penalties

Artist Ivan Lyubimov, for example, has already received three fines for discrediting Russia's army and protesting against the war. That is reported by Forum 18. In addition, he has spent 30 days in jail as well for conducting an illegal demonstration. Lyubimov created anti-war posters which included Biblical quotations. According to the Russian judge, the artist was guilty of accusing Russia of being the Ukraine conflict's aggressor.

Furthermore, a 72-year-old Roman Catholic lady has been fined for pinning a note to the Russian flag outside the St Louis' Church. The paper read "No Bellum" (which means: No war) and "There is no place for the flag of an aggressor state beside the flag of the Holy See."

According to Forum 18, the Moscow authorities use facial recognition technology to identify people who oppose the war.

Only a few times an opponent of the war was acquitted by a Russian court. One of the defendants that were set free was Konstantin Yankauskas. The judge reasoned that reposting the words of Pope Francis on social media had not discredited the Russian army.