The publisher of the online newspaper Vechnernye Vedomosti, a company called Technotorg, was fined 150,000 rubles for “discrediting” the Russian armed forces. The fine stemmed from a March 18 Telegram post by the newspaper covering the detention of an artist who allegedly distributed anti-war stickers in the city of Yekaterinburg. The post featured a blurred picture of those stickers and contained no explicit mention of the Russian army, according to Guzela Atikulova, the director of the outlet. The fine was administered under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation – an amendment passed after the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
UPDATE: On 25 August 2023, Vecherniye Vedomosti said authorities were set to again fine the outlet on grounds of “discrediting” the Russian armed forces, for having reported on anti-war protests in Yekaterinburg on 24-26 February 2022. On September 7, Vecherniye Vedomosti was fined 245 thousand rubles.