On 24 March 2023, a court in Moscow fined journalist Andrey Arkhangelsky 50 thousand rubles for “discrediting” the Russian army. The court handed the fine for an article the journalist published in January in Novaya Gazeta, a major independent Russian online media, which continues to be based in Russia. In the article, Arkhangelsky wrote about his selection of the “word of the year”, the “expression of the year” and the “anti-language” of 2022 in Russia. The words Arkhangelsky selected following an open contest among readers included “war”, “military”, “refugees” and “Bucha”. According to the court’s decision, a linguistic analysis conducted by Russian security forces found “linguistic and psychological signs of speech discrediting the use of the Russian Armed Forces” in the article.
Russia-Ukraine WarCensorship and regulationPublication ban, take-down order or forced deletion, fine, administrative action