Russian TV journalist Aleksandr Nevzorov (Александр Невзоров), who left Russia on 12 March 2022, has been fined 20,000 RUB (approximate 190 EUR) by a court in St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) in Russia for expressing views deemed “extremist” in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Belarus Service and on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@NevzorovTV/videos) regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Court imposed the fine under an administrative charge of extremism (20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).
In the interview with Radio Liberty, Nevzorov criticized the Russian president and events in Crimea in 2014. Authorities also cited his program “(Маленькие невзоровские среды. Saint-Petersburg),” which they claimed contained derogatory content about the Russian army and Russia’s history.
Nevzorov, who was once a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin (Владимир Путин), has become a vocal critic of Russia’s actions in Ukraine and its leadership. In June 2022 he and his wife got Ukrainian citizenship
In February 2023, a Moscow court sentenced Nevzorov in absentia to eight years in prison for discrediting the Russian armed forces. He had accused the Russian military of targeting a maternity hospital in Mariupol and engaging in torture and civilian killings in Bucha.
The situation underscores the Russian authorities’ efforts to control dissenting narratives related to the conflict in Ukraine. Putin had enacted legislation imposing harsh penalties for spreading “false information” about Russia’s actions in the war, with potential punishments of up to 15 years in prison.
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