70-year-old Russian woman who called President Zelenskyy a ‘handsome young man’ fined for ‘discrediting’ Russian military, says human rights group | CPT PPP Coverage

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• A 70-year-old Russian woman was detained after she called Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a handsome young man.” 
• Olga Slegina was fined 40,000 rubles ($491) in a Russian court on Tuesday, Memorial reported.
• Russia recently introduced censorship laws that criminalize ‘discrediting’ the armed forces.

A 70-year-old Russian woman was fined for reportedly “discrediting” the Russian military after she called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a handsome young man with a good sense of humor.”

Olga Slegina was detained in Nalchik, Russia, last December,following reports she made the comments to a waitress in a cafe at a health center. 

Slegina also said of Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “Everyone used to laugh at his jokes,” according to reporting by Memorial, a Russian human rights organization.

Others at the cafe subsequently reported her comments to authorities. The police officer who detained Slegina told her, “You have no right to praise him because he is our enemy,” according to Memorial, which has been outlawed in Russia.

A Russian court on Tuesday fined the elderly woman 40,000 rubles (about $490), in a session that lasted no longer than five minutes, Memorial said. Slegina intends to file an appeal, the human rights organization said. 

Memorial also reported that Slegina, who is “visually impaired,” was tricked into signing a confession that claimed she shouted, “Glory to Ukraine.” Slegina denied the allegation. 

While she was interrogated, she said she didn’t understand what was happening and wanted “it all to be over as soon as possible,” The Daily Beast reported. 

Before becoming president in 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 45, was a well-known comedian and television star. 

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the country introduced wide-ranging censorship laws that criminalize protesting against the war, and ‘discrediting’ the armed forces.