Russia sentences Ukrainian TV host Maria Yefrosynina to seven years in prison in absentia

In Russia, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow sentenced Ukrainian TV host Maria Yefrosynina in absentia to seven years in prison for spreading fakes about the army motivated by political hatred.

This was reported by the Russian media outlet "Mediazona", which cited the court's press office.

The court also banned the Ukrainian journalist from running online pages for three years.

As SotaVision writes, the prosecutor announced that while examining the evidence they studied "testimonies from persons with special knowledge and proven competence."

The prosecution asked for seven years in a low security prison for Yefrosynina, but asked to take into account that she has a small child.

As reported by IMI, on May 17, 2023, in Russia, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow arrested Ukrainian TV presenter Maria Yefrosynina in absentia for "fakes" about the military. A case against Yefrosynina was opened on April 7, 2022, under point "D" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The reason was the TV host's Instagram posts. This March, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs declared her wanted.

Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code is deliberate public spread of false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the exercise of their powers by the Russian state bodies, the assistance by volunteer groups, organizations or individuals in the performance of the tasks assigned to the AFRF.

After the start of the military invasion of Ukraine, Russia adopted new administrative and criminal articles on "fakes" and "discrediting" the Russian army. According to them, anti-war statements and any statements about the war in Ukraine that contradict the official position of the Russian authorities are criminalized.