On 29 May 2023, officials at the Investigative Committee of Russia in Samara, a city in the Volga region, charged journalist Sergey Podsytnik with violating article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code, which bans the dissemination of information considered by Russian authorities to be “fake news”. If found guilty of committing the offence under normal circumstances, the journalist could face up to five years in prison, or up to ten to fifteen years of prison if found guilty under aggravated circumstances.
Podsytnik previously published for the independent online media Protokol, which positions itself as an outlet “informing about violations of human rights and of Russian legislation in the Krasnodar Territory, about problems of corruption” as well as aiming to “promote the implementation of the principle of openness of state institutions and public associations” and “connecting people in trouble with [human rights] defenders”.
According to Protokol, charges against Podsytnik may stem from an investigation he published into the shelling of a building in Makiivka, a city in the Donetsk region under Russian occupation, in which hundreds of Russian soldiers were reportedly killed. As part of the investigation, which was published on Youtube on 19 January 2023, Podsytnik spoke about the attack with relatives of mobilised Russian soldiers.
According to Protokol, Podsytnik currently lives abroad, but his parents have already been summoned for an interrogation into the case by the local branch of the Investigative Committee in Samara.
UPDATE: On 9 June 2023, the Russian Ministry of Interior placed Podsytnik on its ‘wanted’ list.
UPDATE: On 14 August 2023, a court in Samara arrested Podystnik in absentia on accusations of disseminating “fake news” about the Russian army.
UPDATE: On 10 June 2024, Russian independent media reported that police in Samara placed announcements around the city informing residents that Podsytnik was wanted by authorities. Podsytnik said that he called police in reaction to this to tell them that he “saw the journalist near the train station in Düsseldorf, Germany”. He said that police did not appear to be interested in this information, knew about his departure abroad, as well as the fact that he was not planning to return to Russia.