In a stark demonstration of Russia’s intolerance for dissent, a 59-year-old nurse, Olga Menshikh, was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony for criticizing the country’s military offensive in Ukraine on social media. This sentence underscores the severity of the crackdown on any criticism of Moscow’s actions in the war.
The Dorogomilovsky court in Moscow found Menshikh guilty of spreading “fakes” about the Russian army, a charge levied under legislation hastily adopted shortly after the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine. This legislation has been ruthlessly employed to silence opposition voices and suppress dissent within Russia.
The court determined that Menshikh’s posts were “motivated by political hatred.” She had publicly condemned the deadly 2022 Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia and accused Russian troops of civilian killings in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. These accusations, which have been widely reported by international media, further highlight the devastating consequences of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Despite maintaining her innocence, Menshikh, a nurse anesthetist at the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Centre in Moscow, expressed sorrow for the wounded Russian soldiers she treated. “When a young man passes by, do you know what a woman feels? Compassion, not the hatred of which I am being accused,” she stated in court, as reported by the independent website Mediazona. “I felt really sorry for them.”
Wearing a checked shirt, Menshikh appeared resolute in the courtroom. Addressing the prosecutor, she challenged the severity of the sentence: “You want to give me a sentence like one for murder, but I was fighting for your health. I have treated so many prosecutors and judges from the whole of Moscow.”
Menshikh was arrested in April and placed under house arrest. However, in September, she was transferred to pre-trial detention, a further indication of the escalating pressure she faced for speaking out against the war.
