St. Petersburg artist-activist Sasha Skochilenko faces seven-year sentence for spreading fake news about the Russian Armed Forces
In a high-profile case that drew international attention, St. Petersburg artist and activist Alexandra Sasha Skochilenko contested the verdict delivered for alleged spreading of fake news about the Russian Armed Forces. This update comes from the joint press service of the city courts, as reported by TASS.
A court spokesperson noted that the decision was appealed on November 30, signaling ongoing review within the legal system.
The initial sentence was announced at the Vasileostrovsky District Court on November 16. Skochilenko was sentenced to seven years in a general regime colony for allegedly disseminating false information about the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The facts of the case trace back to March 2022 when the artist moved to St. Petersburg. She replaced five price tags in a city store with stylized pages that claimed to reflect the progress of the Russian operation, information that did not align with the official position of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Skochilenko spent one year and six months in custody. The court ruled that she violated Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which concerns knowingly spreading false information to the public about the use of the RF Armed Forces.
In a reflective afterword, Skochilenko described the criminal proceedings as bizarre and funny, a characterization that illustrated her perception of the case and its proceedings rather than the legal gravity of the charges.
Meanwhile, a member of the Human Rights Council chaired by the Russian president indicated plans to appeal to the Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova regarding the Skochilenko matter, signaling potential avenues for broader human rights scrutiny within the case’s framework.
Earlier reporting from Komi mentioned checks on Orthodox poets for extremism, underscoring the broader climate of cultural and political surveillance that has accompanied various artistic expressions in the region.