In Russia, a woman who wrote “no to war” on a ballot was sentenced to prison

Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected for a fifth term in elections over the weekend, extending his rule until at least the 2030s.

The election was marked by ballot tampering, and in a speech on Sunday, Putin warned that those responsible “must be dealt with”.

On Wednesday, the Dzerzhinsky District Court of St. Petersburg announced that it ordered Aleksandra Chiriatiev to be arrested for eight days and fined 40,000. ruble (440 euros) fine.

According to the court, the woman was found guilty of hooliganism and “discrediting the Russian armed forces.”

“Before putting the ballot in the ballot box, Chiriatyeva took the ballot and wrote ‘no to war’ with a red marker on the other side,” the court said.

“In this way, Chiriatyeva damaged state property and discredited the Russian armed forces,” he added.

According to the court, the woman did this on the last day of three days of voting, when the Russian opposition called for protests that day.

Moscow has banned criticism of its armed forces and military operations in Ukraine, passing a series of strict censorship laws. Since February 2022, when Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine, dozens of opponents have been jailed in Russia.