Russian Rights Defender Sentenced To Three Years In Prison Over Ukraine War Posts

By RFE/RL's North.Realities

A court in the northwestern Russian city of Cherepovets on January 18 sentenced a local human rights defender, Gregory Vinter, to three years in prison on a charge of distributing "false" information about Russian armed forces involved in Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Prosecutors sought more than six years in prison for the 54-year-old activist, who has diabetes. Vinter was charged in August 2022 for posting materials on the Internet about alleged atrocities committed by Russian troops against civilians in Ukraine. The Memorial human rights group has recognized Vinter as a political prisoner.