Man sentenced in Russia for emoji in home chat
In Rostov-on-Don, a local court found Sergei Korovainy guilty of so-called “discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces based on a comment he made in a building chat on the Max messaging app.
The Russian man was fined 30,000 rubles for using an emoji depicting excrement under a propaganda video.
The administrative case was triggered by a post from Korovainy’s neighbor, who shared a video of Russian military equipment in the group chat. The footage showed an invading combat vehicle firing a volley of ammunition.
The man left a negative comment under the post, which sparked outrage among war supporters and led to legal proceedings.
“The ruling states that Korovainy ‘posted an emoji in the form of feces’ under a video depicting a military vehicle of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”
The court of the aggressor country interpreted these actions as an attempt to undermine trust in the army and foster a negative attitude toward the so-called “special military operation.”
Serhiy Korovainy himself did not admit guilt. He tried to convince the judges that his outrage was directed not at the military itself, but at a neighbor who shares such materials.
The man argued that publishing such videos is allegedly prohibited by Russian law, but this did not save him from a fine.
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