The Basmanny Court of Moscow has arrested journalist and blogger Michael Naki in absentia. He is accused of spreading fakes about the activities of the Armed Forces (AF) of the Russian Federation.
“In relation to Naka, a preventive measure was chosen in the form of detention for a period of two months from the moment of his detention or extradition to the territory of the Russian Federation,” the court decision reports Gazeta.Ru.
Prior to this, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put Michael Nucky on the wanted list. It is known that the journalist, along with the founder of the Scanner Telegram channel, Ruslan Karpuk, is involved in the case of “discrediting the RF Armed Forces” while covering the Ukrainian crisis.
On May 17, law enforcement officers detained Alexander Kononov, deputy chairman of the city branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, in St. Petersburg. He is also suspected of discrediting the Russian army.
On March 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law criminalizing dissemination of knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces. Violators may face imprisonment or a fine.
On February 24, Russia announced the start of a special operation to protect Donbass. The operation began against the backdrop of the situation in the Donbass that worsened in mid-February.
The authorities of the DPR and LPR reported increased shelling by Ukrainian troops, announced the evacuation of civilians in the Russian Federation and asked for recognition of independence. On February 21, Putin signed a corresponding decree.