Russian prosecutors have requested a six-year prison sentence for St. Petersburg resident Andrei Panin in a criminal case concerning alleged "false information" about the Russian military.
Mediazona reported the request while covering the court proceedings.
The prosecution stems from a VKontakte post dated August 19, 2023, concerning a Russian strike on a drama theater in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.
Panin's actions were charged under Article 207.3, Part 2, Paragraph "d" of Russia's Criminal Code, which provides criminal penalties for distributing information about the Russian armed forces that investigators consider knowingly false.
According to reports from the courtroom, Panin partially admitted guilt. That admission does not necessarily mean he agreed with every factual allegation presented by the prosecution.
A Russian missile strike on Chernihiv on August 19, 2023, killed and injured civilians. Ukrainian authorities and international journalists documented the consequences of the attack.
Russian human rights defenders regard the use of the military "fakes" law against reporting about the war as a means of restricting freedom of expression.
The six-year prison term is the punishment requested by prosecutors. No verdict had been issued in response to that request at the time of reporting.