Five years for justifying the war: real sentences for posts in social networks in defense of the aggressor began to be issued

Even though the Russian military kills Ukrainian civilians every day, bombs cities and villages and destroys our homes, there are many supporters of the "Russian world" who try to justify the Russian aggression on social media.

Among them are both ordinary citizens of Ukraine and clergymen, bloggers and local government representatives.

Read more about this in the OBOZREVATEL article.

First she praised the Russians, then she changed her mind

At the end of June, a court sentenced 35-year-old Svitlana Mykhaleva, a resident of the Kharkiv region, to five years in prison with a three-year deferral under Part 3 Article 436 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which is the justification of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Back in late May of last year, the resident of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi gave a commentary to the Russian propaganda TV channel "Zvezda", where she welcomed the Russian military. She said that they were supposedly very welcome here.

"We've been waiting for you, because we've been crushed here with our Ukrainian language. They made my child speak Ukrainian in kindergarten, they rewrote history. My daughter is in the first grade, and I was very worried that she would not learn all this nonsense", Mykhaleva said.

However, after the liberation of Kharkiv region, the woman quickly "changed her mind" and thanked Ukrainian volunteers for the humanitarian aid. Mykhaleva pleaded guilty in full. The court took into account that she is a mother of two children, thus gave her such a mild punishment.

Agitators from the Moscow Patriarchate

In the Pochaiv Lavra, where representatives of the UOC (MP) are located, a novice who supported the seizure of Ukrainian territory and asked to pray for the Russian military was found.

As it turned out, the novice has a criminal record for murder and lived on the territory of the monastery since 2017. He worked in the household yard of the Lavra. After the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, he rushed to write posts in banned Russian social networks in support of aggression against our country.

He also praised the leadership of the terrorist state and discredited the Ukrainian military. The other day a court sentenced the "Russian peace" lover to five years in prison.

This novice is not the only representative of the UOC (MP), who spread anti-Ukrainian Kremlin narratives in social networks.

For example, a cleric of the Izium diocese of the UOC in Kharkiv region fled to Russia before the invasion.

From there, he recorded videos that were posted on "United Russia" Telegram channels. He justified Russia's aggression against Ukraine and called the war "a surgical operation during which a diseased organ should be cut out".

So far he has been charged in absentia under the article on justification and recognition of the legitimacy of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

The organizer of the so-called Russian Orthodox Church processions is also under suspicion on Article 436 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. After February 24, this cleric spread videos on the pro-Russian YouTube channel "Holy Russia," in which he justified the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In addition, on March 31, this "activist" gave interviews to the media in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, where he also justified the actions of the Russian army. He is now in custody with the right to bail.

The head of the village council urged to surrender

The suspicion of justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine was recently announced to the former head of the village council of Chabanov of Fastov district of Kyiv region, 42-year-old Oleksandr K.

Oleksnadr K. had long been the head of the local branch of the "Party of Regions" and constantly expressed his pro-Kremlin views. Before the start of the invasion, he and his family left Ukraine. Allegedly, he was vacationing in Zanzibar, but never returned after his vacation ended in March.

After February 24, he called his subordinates and persuaded them not to resist the Russian occupiers and not to join the Territorial Defence Forces.. He agitated local residents to provide the invaders with food and housing.

Also on his Facebook page, he called the Russian war against Ukraine an internal conflict and conducted subversive activity.

Ukrainian female bloggers justify Russian crimes

Two pro-Russian bloggers were sentenced in absentia for justifying Russia's war against Ukraine.

One of them is 40-year-old Tatyana Pop, a former TV presenter for a local TV channel in Khust, Transcarpathian region. She did not stand out, except for the fact that she disappeared in Russia for several years, starring in various TV shows: "Dom-2", "The Bachelor", and "Mama in Law".

She told me that she had a business in Ukraine and lived in Rublyovka in the Russian Federation, but none of this was confirmed.

In 2014, Pop unexpectedly started anti-Ukrainian activities on social networks and joined the Kremlin's campaign to "protect the rights" of Transcarpathian Rysuns. On her YouTube channels, she started talking about American biological laboratories and combat mosquitoes. She also humiliated Maidan supporters.

She openly advocated Putin and the separation of Transcarpathia from Ukraine.

Her activities finally came to the attention of the SSU and she received 12 years for her subversive activities. However, in absentia, since she is hiding in Russia.

Her "colleague", 42-year-old Odesa journalist Yulia Vityazeva (real last name Lozanova) was the first to start exonerating Russians for blowing up the Kakhovskaya HPP.

She left for Russia back in early 2015. Since then, she has been active on her social networks and Telegram channel, as well as appeared on propaganda TV channels, including Solovyov, where she glorifies the Russian authorities and denies the occupation of Ukraine.

She also collects aid for the Russian military.

She is now under suspicion in absentia on two articles: for collaborative activities and for justification of Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Also, a famous former Ukrainian lawyer and blogger Tetiana Montian was reported on suspicion in absentia for justifying Russian military aggression. She justifies the existence of the pseudo-republics "DPR" and "LPR" and calls for the violent destruction of the existing authorities in Ukraine.

The soft sentence did not help

Among those who justify the crimes of Russia, there are "repeat offenders", people who have already received suspended sentences for their activities, but have not made conclusions.

Thus, a resident of Cherkasy region has already received five years in prison with a suspended sentence last year. However, he continued to distribute photos and videos on social networks, as well as writing posts of support for the aggressor country.

In addition, he called Ukrainians an "artificial nation" and the territory of Ukraine a "gift" from Russia.

Another Vinnytsia resident at the beginning of the invasion in February-March 2022 distributed publications "about Ukranian nazis" and "Russia's liberation of Donbas." For this he received five years with a suspended sentence. But he continued his subversive activities.

Now both will serve real sentences in prison.

All in all, over the past 15 months, approximately 120 cases have been initiated under Article 436 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which is justification, denial of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, glorification of its participants. Some of the suspects have already received court sentences, while others are hiding from justice.