On 18 April 2023, Russian independent media informed that authorities in the Russian region of Dagestan had opened a criminal investigation against journalist and activist Svetlana Anokhina, on charges of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces (Article 280.3 of the Russian Criminal Code). The probe was reportedly launched in relation to Instagram posts by Anokhina regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is unknown which posts served as the basis to formulate the accusation.

In April 2022, police officials had come to the house of Anokhina’s 93-year-old mother and inquired about her daughter’s Instagram posts reportedly denouncing the war in Ukraine.

Anokhina left the Russian Federation in 2021 shortly after Chechen and Dagestani security forces raided a shelter for female victims of violence. In addition to her activities as a human rights activists, Anokhina is the editor-in-chief of Daptar, the only online media in the North Caucasus that focuses on women’s rights.