In April 2022 and March 2023, Roman Ivanov, a freelancer for the RusNews project and resident of Korolyov, Moscow Region, published three posts on his Telegram channel “Honest Korolyov” and in a VK group. One of the posts discussed the retreat of Russian troops from the Kyiv region, specifically Bucha, and the discovery of civilian bodies, citing an article from The New York Times. Another post referred to a UN report on war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in several regions of Ukraine in March 2022. The UN mission members visited the areas from which Russian troops had retreated, examined civilian burial sites, remnants of weapons, and interviewed witnesses. Based on this data, the commission documented at least 441 confirmed cases of civilian killings by Russian military personnel.

In the third post, the journalist quoted Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu regarding a shortage of missiles in the Russian army.

Following the publication of these posts, Ivanov was detained, and the Korolyov court sentenced him to seven years in a general-regime colony for three counts under clause “d” part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Public dissemination of deliberately false information about the use of the Russian Armed Forces motivated by political hatred and enmity). In simpler terms, Roman Ivanov was imprisoned under the “fake news” law about the army.

We will examine this story from three perspectives: Pro, Contra, In fact

CONTRA

During the hearing on the pre-trial measure, held on February 28, 2024, Ivanov felt unwel*l, but Judge Dmitry Ganus did not postpone the trial, and an ambulance was called for the defendant. Later, his lawyer expressed concern for Ivanov’s health. Nevertheless, the court decided to place Roman Ivanov in a detention facility, considering that Ivanov was officially unemployed and “had access to the internet, and therefore could continue to break the law,” and remanded him in custody until June 10.

Once in the detention center, Ivanov was put on a special watchlist as a “person studying, practicing, or spreading extremist ideology.” Under the May 20, 2013 Ministry of Justice order, individuals convicted under “terrorism and extremism” articles, as in Ivanov’s case, or “violent articles” as “prone to violence or escape,” can be put on such a list. This status subjects the inmate to increased scrutiny from the facility administration and requires numerous checks.

The investigation conducted a linguistic examination of Ivanov’s posts. Expert Elena Tsypkina, who assessed the publications, was found not only to be unaffiliated with Kaluga State University but also lacking the proper certification to conduct linguistic examinations.

“This examination is rife with errors — both methodological and grammatical. This is unacceptable for an expert whose work determines a person’s fate and life,” reported RusNews, Ivanov’s employer.

In court, Ivanov faced three charges under clause “d” part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code (fake news about the army). The prosecution sought an eight-year prison term for Ivanov — nearly the maximum sentence under this article. However, on March 6, 2024, the court sentenced** him to “only” seven years in a general-regime colony.

PRO

The defendant did not plead guilty.

In his final statement, Roman Ivanov knelt and asked for forgiveness from all Ukrainians harmed by the ongoing war:

“I published the first post about the Bucha situation so that Russians could see how horrible war is. It brings nothing but fear, pain, grief, destruction, and loss — to another country and to ours as well… What can we do in this situation? Honestly, I don’t even know anymore. But I want to ask forgiveness from all Ukrainian citizens whom our country has brought grief. Whom our country has deprived of their loved ones, their friends. Who can never be returned. And not on behalf of the entire country, but personally, as a citizen of the Russian Federation, Roman Viktorovich Ivanov. I want to kneel before the relatives of those who were killed in Bucha. Even though I don’t know who killed them. But these are the consequences of where our country has come to.”

IN FACT

The New York Times article, whose journalists conducted a thorough investigation based on eyewitness interviews, intercepted communications, and video recordings from the site of the tragedy, remains publicly accessible.

The 33-page report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, “Summary Executions and Attacks on Individual Civilians in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy Regions in the Context of the Armed Attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine,” is also publicly available.

The Korolyov City Court lacks the authority to overturn the facts and expert opinions presented in these globally accessible documents.

According to the journalist himself, this case is a logical continuation of his persecution “for independent journalistic activities with the aim of stopping them.”

Roman Ivanov became the second RusNews journalist to be convicted for “fake news about the Russian Armed Forces.” In February 2023, journalist Maria Ponomarenko from Barnaul received** a six-year sentence under a similar article.

The international non-governmental organization “Committee to Protect Journalists” called for the immediate release of Roman and his colleagues, who were baselessly accused by Russian authorities of spreading false information. The independent human rights project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial***” recognized Ivanov as a political prisoner based on Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (everyone has the right to hold opinions without interference, the right to freedom of expression, and the right to seek and disseminate information and ideas).

* – recognized as a “foreign agent” on the territory of the Russian Federation.

** – recognized as a “foreign agent” and “undesirable organization” on the territory of the Russian Federation.

*** – recognized as a “foreign agent” on the territory of the Russian Federation.