On 25 July 2022, Moscow courts registered a case against journalist Ilya Azar for alleged “discreditation” of the Russian army. It was not clear what publications by Azar, who writes for exiled Russian media Novaya Gazeta Europe, were considered by authorities to violate the law.

In June, the Russian journalist had already been fined 60,000 rubles for “discrediting” the Russian army. At the time, Azar was sentenced for a Facebook post denouncing Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February.