Russian student arrested for Instagram post against war in Ukraine

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University student Olesya Krivtsova posted texts on the internet against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, she is only allowed to leave the house to go to court and could be sentenced to 10 years in prison. Olesya’s colleagues talked about reporting her to the police over her views on the war BBC University student Olesya Krivtsova is missing a lot of classes. This is because 20-year-old Olesya is under house arrest. She wears an electronic anklet. The police can monitor her every move. Share on WhatsApp Share on Telegram Your alleged crime? Olesya was arrested for making posts against the war in Ukraine on social media. One of the posts concerned the explosion of the bridge connecting Russia to Crimea, in October last year. “I posted a story about the bridge on Instagram,” Olesya told the BBC. “The post was about how happy Ukrainians were about what happened.” She also shared a friend’s post about the war. That’s when the drama started. “I was talking on the phone with my mother,” recalls Olesya, “when I heard the front door of the house open. A lot of policemen came in. They took my phone and yelled at me to get down on the floor.” Olesya was accused of justifying terrorism and discrediting the Russian armed forces. She faces up to 10 years in prison. READ MORE: TikTok says it removed more than 10,000 content about January coup attacks Why Facebook and Instagram have suggested content from accounts you don’t follow ‘TikTok de texton’: discover the app that is a bet by the Brazilian who created Instagram Olesya can only leave home to appear in court BBC “I never imagined that someone could get such a long prison sentence for posting something on the internet”, says Olesya. “I had seen reports of crazy sentences in Russia, but I didn’t pay much attention and continued to talk (about the war).” A student at the Northern Federal University in Arkhangelsk, Olesya was added to Russia’s official list of terrorists and extremists. “When I realized that she had been put on the same list as school shooters and the Islamic State group, I thought it was crazy,” she recalls. According to the rules of her house arrest, she is prohibited from talking on the phone and accessing the internet. Olesya has a striking tattoo on her right leg – Russian President Vladimir Putin, depicted as a spider, with an inscription inspired by George Orwell’s 1984 classic: “Big Brother Is Watching You”. It seems that, in her case, it was not “Big Brother” who was watching her, but her own university colleagues. Her anti-Putin tattoo reads: ‘Big Brother is watching you’ BBC ‘Provocative posts’ “A friend showed me a post about me in a chat,” says Olesya. “It was about how I was against the ‘special military operation’. Most of the people in this chat were history students. They were debating whether to report me to the authorities.” BBC News saw snippets of the conversation about the university student in a group. In a comment, Olesya is accused of writing “provocative posts of a defeatist and extremist character.” “This is unacceptable in times of war. It must be nipped in the bud,” the text reads. “First let’s try to discredit her. If she doesn’t understand, let the security services handle it. Reporting is a patriot’s duty,” wrote another. Later, when the prosecution’s witness list was read in court, Olesya recognized the names from the students’ chat. It’s been a year since the Putin government launched its “military operation special” in Ukraine – the Kremlin uses that term to designate Russia’s full-scale invasion of the neighboring country. A few weeks after the attack, President Putin urged Russians to separate “the real patriots from the scum and the traitors”. Across Russia, there were reports of denunciations against critics of the war. These include students denouncing teachers and workers denouncing colleagues. Public criticism of the invasion – and that includes reposting others’ criticisms – could become dangerous. Authorities expect support full and unshakable for the offensive against Ukraine. If the citizen does not support the measure, at least he is expected to remain silent. If not, there are a series of repressive laws to punish dissent. This includes laws against spreading “false information” about the military and “discrediting” the military. In the city of Arkhangelsk, a giant portrait of a Russian soldier killed in Ukraine was painted on the side of a nine-story apartment building, along with the words: “To be a warrior means to live forever”. The patriotic message is persuasive. On the streets of Arkhangelsk, the report found little sympathy for Russians who face prosecution for their anti-war comments. “People who discredit our army or spread false information are sick in the head,” says a resident named Konstantin. “They should be sent to the front lines as cannon fodder.” Patriotic and pro-war messages are everywhere in Russia BBC “I have a negative attitude towards critics of the special operation”, says Ekaterina. But she thinks a long prison sentence for posting something on the internet would not be an unfair punishment. “People should use their brains,” replies Ekaterina. “If they live in this country, if they enjoy all the benefits this country has to offer, if they are patriots, they need to abide by the law.” Later that day, Olesya managed to move out of her apartment. But only to attend a court hearing. Her defense lawyers are trying to persuade a judge to lift travel restrictions. Olesya’s T-shirt features a picture of a police van with “school bus” written on it. A commentary on how young Russians are being punished for their criticism of authorities. The judge decided to keep her under house arrest. “The state has no stomach for debate, for democracy or for freedom,” says Olesya. “But they can’t put everyone in jail. At some point they’re going to run out of cells.” Produced by Liza Shuvalova. – This text was published in: SEE ALSO Fatou Ndiaye, the influencer who fights online abuse after suffering racism at an elite school in Rio Unstable WhatsApp: how SMS, Telegram, Twitter and other alternatives work Watch: ‘Excludes access to land ‘, author of Torto Arado explains land-based racism

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