Man in occupied Crimea fined over Telegram posts, and “judge” refers to him as a woman in ruling

The Russian-controlled “Kyivskyi District Court” of Simferopol fined Hennadii Yanchevskyi 30,000 roubles (approximately UAH 16,000) under the provision on the so-called “discrediting” of the Russian military. The fine was imposed over Telegram posts in which, according to the court, he expressed negative views of the actions of Russian troops and Russia’s war against Ukraine, ZMINA reported, citing a ruling published on the website of the “Kyivskyi District Court” of Simferopol.

The “Kyivskyi District Court” in occupied Simferopol. Photo: Russian media

According to the ruling, Hennadii Yanchevskyi was found administratively liable on 4 August under Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences. Russian security officials claimed that he had used his Telegram account to post public comments that “condemned the actions” of Russian troops and expressed an “openly negative attitude” towards Russia’s war against Ukraine. The ruling was handed down by Russian-appointed judge Halyna Khulapova. 

The administrative offence report was drawn up on the premises of the Russian Interior Ministry in Crimea following an operational search measure involving “surveillance” of an online resource.

In its ruling, the court stated that Yanchevskyi had “expressed support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine” and opposition to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Russian court nevertheless classified these statements as actions intended to “discredit” the Russian military. 

The ruling contains an error: although the defendant is a man, the judge used feminine grammatical forms to refer to him in one of its key passages. The Tribunal: Crimean Episode initiative drew attention to the error. 

“Through her actions, [name withheld] expressed support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as her opposition and openly negative attitude towards the conduct of the ‘special military operation ‘,” the ruling states. 

Screenshot: Excerpt from the ruling in Yanchevskyi’s case published on the Russian-controlled court’s website 

ZMINA previously reported that Russia had turned the provision on the so-called “discrediting” of the Russian Armed Forces into one of its main tools for suppressing freedom of expression and persecuting residents of occupied Crimea. Over four years, Russian-controlled courts issued at least 1,529 rulings under this provision. 

Following an examination of the situation, the UN concluded that Russia had created a climate of fear in the Ukrainian territories under its occupation. In occupied Crimea alone, the Russian authorities regard around 7,000 people as “unreliable” and have opened more than 1,700 cases over dissent since 2022. 

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