A Ukrainian-born activist was jailed for seven years by a Russian court on Wednesday for "justifying terrorism", according to a Telegram channel petitioning for his release.Mikhail Krieger, 63, was arrested last November over social media posts he wrote in 2020 in which he praised two men who staged attacks on buildings of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) as "heroes".
Prosecutors also said Krieger had "incited hatred" when he posted in 2020 that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be hanged, according to Russian news outlet Insider. They had sought a nine-year prison term, according to the Telegram channel organized in Krieger's support.
He denied the charges against him and spoke out during the trial against Russia's war in Ukraine."I consider this war to be that rare conflict in which the truth is 100% present on one side. And that side is Ukraine," Krieger said on Wednesday, referring to himself as a native of Ukraine, according to the Telegram channel.His case is the latest in a slew of court trials against those who voice opposition to the war. Criminal cases have been launched against more than 500 people for anti-war protests, according to Russian human rights network OVD-Info.An activist and former member of Moscow's Tagansky District Council, Krieger has helped organise rallies in support of Ukraine since Russia's earlier invasion in 2014, according to Insider. He also protested in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other dissidents targeted by the Kremlin, it reported.
