The SC and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia differed in the calculations of criminal cases about “fakes”

In Russia, 152 criminal cases have been opened on the articles of fakes and repeated discrediting of the Russian army. This was announced by the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin.

The Russian authorities consider the publication of any information about the war in Ukraine that differs from the version of the Ministry of Defense of Russia to be fake. According to Bastrykin, 53 cases have been referred to the court, 16 of them have already been sentenced.

A month ago, the Prosecutor General of Russia, Igor Krasnov, announced that in 2022 only 187 cases were initiated under the criminal article on fakes, and 78 of them were brought to court. However, according to “OVD-Info” calculations, no less than 46 cases were initiated on this article during the same period.

There were no reports of a mass termination of “fake” cases or repeated discrediting of the army. What is the reason for such inconsistency in these departments and which figure is real is unknown.

• An article about fakes about the Russian army was added to the Criminal Code of Russia shortly after the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its violation is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. According to human rights activists, this article actually introduced military censorship in Russia.
• The administrative article on the discrediting of the Russian army appeared shortly after its invasion of Ukraine. Discreditation in Russia is considered, for example, to use the word “war” instead of “special military operation” in relation to the war in Ukraine. The article provides for a fine of up to 50,000 rubles, and for repeated violations, a criminal case with a penalty of up to five years in prison is threatened.