The prosecutor has moved to have director Ivan Vyrypaev sentenced to a decade behind bars. This report comes from RIA News and outlines the severity of the charge facing Vyrypaev. The case centers on allegations that he disseminated false information about actions by the Russian military within a designated special military operations zone in Ukraine. The hearings take place in Moscow at the Basmanny Court, with a verdict expected on December 15.
Earlier this year, in May, the Moscow Basmanny Court issued an arrest in absentia for both Alexander Rodnyansky, who is listed as a foreign agent in Russia, and Ivan Vyrypaev. They were charged with spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces’ activities within the Ukraine operation zone. The court order placed the filmmakers on an international wanted list, and the charges include knowingly distributing false information for political purposes, a crime carrying a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
The filmmakers’ defense teams have submitted objections to the court’s decision. The timing for reviewing those objections has not yet been finalized.
Vyrypaev, a former director of Praktika theatre and the creator behind films such as Oxygen and Euphoria, as well as the author of a short story collection Dance of Delhi, previously announced the renunciation of his Russian citizenship in favor of Polish citizenship. He is also known as the founder of the WEDA production company based in Poland.
In related developments, a separate criminal case has been opened involving another individual, with ongoing investigations surrounding the matter.