Moscow resident fined for chanting outside train station that Ukraine’s military is ‘fucking Russia’

A Moscow resident was fined on charges of “discrediting the army” on Wednesday after loudly chanting a phrase about the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) outside of a train station.

According to the local Telegram news channel Ostorozhno, Moskva, a man named Alexander Gerasimov repeatedly shouted “The AFU is fucking Russia!” to passing commuters. He was soon approached by police, who forced him to write an explanatory statement. A judge later imposed a fine of an unknown amount.

Felony and misdemeanor charges for “discrediting the army” have been handed down in Russia well over 10,000 times since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, a resident of Khanty-Mansi region was fined 40,000 rubles (€400) on “discrediting” charges based on a comment he left on social media. A day earlier, the head of a well-known Russian children’s hospice organisation was detained on “discrediting” charges over an online post she made in 2023.