As reported by independent Russian Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti, a Moscow State University student, Oleg Tarasov, modified the name of his Wi-Fi network to “Slava Ukraine”, which translates to “Glory to Ukraine” in English.
On Thursday the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow found the student guilty of propaganda and the “public display of Nazi symbols”. As a consequence, authorities confiscated his router. As reported by state-run RIA.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, dissent has been effectively suppressed in Russia.
As per the Russian human rights group OVD-Info, over 260 individuals are presently incarcerated in the country due to offenses linked to expressing anti-war sentiments. Remarkably, OVD-Info has meticulously documented more than 20,000 detentions related to such cases.
In the past few weeks, the atmosphere of suppression has become even more pronounced. This shift comes in the wake of the tragic demise of Alexey Navalny, a prominent Kremlin critic. His death occurred within a Russian penal facility situated north of the Arctic Circle in mid-February .
Demonstrating solidarity with the Russian opposition figure, whose movement has been branded as extremist by the authorities, carries significant risks.
Russian state media conspicuously overlooked his passing, while hundreds of individuals were allegedly apprehended for participating in impromptu memorials. This marked the most extensive surge of arrests at political gatherings in the country over the past two years.
In a tense atmosphere, thousands of mourners, including some who boldly chanted, “Putin is a killer” or “no to war,” defied the looming threat of arrest. They congregated in Moscow earlier this month to pay their respects at Alexey Navalny’s funeral.
Despite the risks, their determination remained unwavering. Across 20 Russian cities, at least 103 individuals were detained during these gatherings, as reported by OVD-Info .
Hundreds of people have been gathering at Alexey Navalny’s grave in the Borisovsky Cemetery in Moscow, paying their respects by laying flowers. The scene was both somber and tense, with riot police overseeing the proceedings.
These officers conducted searches, filmed the mourners, and ensured everyone passed through metal detectors. Despite the heavy security presence, the mourners persisted, honoring the late opposition leader.
Next week, Russia’s tightly-controlled presidential election is expected to unfold. However, the electoral landscape is far from open. The sole anti-war candidate, Boris Nadezhdin, has been disqualified by the central election commission from running against Vladimir Putin.
This decision comes after the commission found “irregularities” in over 9,000 of the more than 100,000 signatures of support submitted by Nadezhdin. The error rate exceeded the allowable 5%, providing grounds for his disqualification.
As the election unfolds, Russia’s political landscape remains tightly controlled, and Putin’s rule is poised to extend into the 2030s.
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