Kabarda–Balkaria resident fined for defacing pictures of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine

A court in the town of Maisky, Kabarda–Balkaria, has fined local resident Timur Stolnikov ₽15,000 ($175) for ‘discrediting’ the Russian army, according to human rights media outlet OVD-Info.

The administrative case against Stolnikov was initiated after he allegedly cut up posters featuring photographs of deceased Russian soldiers which had been displayed on the wall of a grocery store .

The court found him guilty of ‘discrediting’ the Russian army, a charge that was introduced following the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022. It has been consistently used to punish actions or statements that authorities interpret as undermining the army’s authority. The maximum fine under this article for individuals is ₽50,000 ($580).

Stolnikov pleaded not guilty.

Residents of the North Caucasus are regularly fined for ‘discrediting’ the army. According to Russian law, two administrative offences for discrediting the military can lead to criminal prosecution.

In March 2024, the Baksan District Court in Kabarda–Balkaria found local resident Khusen Gukov guilty in a criminal case of discrediting the Russian army and sentenced him to a suspended prison term of one and a half years. In addition to the main sentence, he was banned from leaving the country and from teaching, and was also placed on probation for one year. The prosecutor had sought a two-year suspended sentence.

‘I was caught under the wheels of the repressive machine. I got off lightly. I have decided not to appeal the court’s decision. Thus, a six-month nightmare is over. I hope it is over, but I am not sure’, Gukov, who was once a Communist Party candidate for the Baksan local self-government council, wrote on Facebook at the time.

In August 2023, the Zolsky District Court of Kabarda–Balkaria found local resident Islam Mambetov guilty under a criminal article for discrediting the army and fined him ₽100,000 ($1,200). The charges were related to posts on social media. Mambetov had previously been held administratively liable for discrediting the army.

That same month, the Nalchik City Court found local resident Batyr Zhaboev guilty of repeatedly discrediting the armed forces and sentenced him to a one-year suspended prison term. The charges were related to an Instagram post in which Zhaboev accused Russian soldiers of killing civilians in Chechnya and Ukraine.

In June 2022, a court in Nalchik sentenced Kabarda–Balkaria resident Zaurbek Zhambekov to a two-year suspended prison term after convicting him of discrediting the Russian army and involving a minor in a crime.

According to the prosecution, Zhambekov asked his 12-year-old daughter to remove a St. George’s ribbon, in the shape of the letter ‘Z’, from a police officer’s car parked in Nalchik. The orange-and-black ribbon, which dates back to the Russian Empire, is often invoked as a symbol of support for the Russian military. Zhambekov’s sentence was the first such sentence in Russia for discrediting the military.