Vitaly Zhuravlev was convicted in a third criminal case for discrediting the army.

Akhtubinsk resident Vitaly Zhuravlev, twice convicted of discrediting the military, was again found guilty in a similar case. The case was prompted by Zhuravlev's comment on a local social media page.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in May 2025, Akhtubinsk resident Vitaly Zhuravlev, convicted of discrediting the military, was again found guilty in a similar case. The criminal prosecution was prompted by his online publications.

The Akhtubinsky District Court of the Astrakhan Region found Vitaly Zhuravlev guilty of repeatedly discrediting the Russian army. This sentence was given to Zhuravlev in conjunction with his previous punishment, the human rights project OVD-Info* reported today on its Telegram channel.

According to a press release on the website of the Akhtubinsky District Court, published on December 19, 2025, Zhuravlev "posted in the comments to a publication in the open group "Akhtubinsk knows" on the social network VKontakte a negative comment in the form of a political joke about the fact that the Russian Armed Forces are committing illegal actions against their own citizens, whom the country's leadership does not classify as "ours."

The court found Zhuravlev guilty of repeated discrediting of the military 1 and sentenced him to imprisonment for a term of 2 years and 8 months, with He is serving his sentence in a general regime penal colony. He is also prohibited from engaging in activities related to website administration, the court reports.

As a reminder, in December 2023, it became known that a court in the Akhtubinsky District fined Vitaly Zhuravlev under the administrative offense of discrediting the army. The reason for the 30,000-ruble fine was a post on the social network VKontakte.

Criminal liability for discrediting the armed forces was introduced on March 4, 2022. Following this, residents of Russia, including those in the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts, began to be prosecuted under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. It provides for a fine of 30,000 to 100,000 rubles, and a repeat offense within a year is punishable by a fine of 100,000 rubles. target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatens criminal prosecution.

Article 280.3 of the Russian Criminal Code was created as a tool to suppress dissent, the human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial"* stated earlier. "It effectively prohibits any criticism of the authorities, which violates citizens' right to freedom of expression. This article contradicts fundamental principles of law, in particular, the principle of legal certainty. "Article 280.3 of the Russian Criminal Code must be repealed, and all criminal cases under this article must be closed," human rights activists stated.

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** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.