Camilla Jessen
Russian woman sentenced to 7 years over comments about inviting Ukrainian troops for tea.
A Ural Airlines flight attendant from Moscow has been handed a seven-year prison sentence after comments she made about the war in Ukraine resurfaced in court.
According to EFE, prosecutors argued that her online comments amounted to spreading false information about the army.
The sentence
The municipal court in Vidnoye, outside Moscow, announced that Varvara Volkova was found guilty under Article 207.3 of Russia’s Criminal Code.
The provision criminalizes the “public dissemination of false information about the Russian Armed Forces” when motivated by political hatred.
Judges said Volkova wrote messages in a neighborhood chat claiming Russia’s military committed violence in Ukraine and stating she would “invite the Ukrainian army to tea” if it reached the Moscow region.
Officials also accused her of insulting a Russian tanker fighting in Ukraine after seeing him appear on television. According to the court, the messages amounted to knowingly spreading false claims about the military.
Prior penalties
The court noted that Volkova had already faced two earlier administrative penalties this year.
In February, she was fined twice — a total of 31,000 rubles — for “discrediting” the army and displaying prohibited symbols.
One fine stemmed from discussing the deaths of Ukrainians she knew; another came after she wrote the slogan “Glory to Ukraine!” in a chat group.
Following the fines, she lost her job with Ural Airlines.
Her arrest came later, after prosecutors opened a full criminal case.
Escalating crackdowns
Russian courts have imposed increasingly severe sentences on those accused of criticizing the invasion.
The court’s statement said she had claimed Russian forces were committing acts of violence aimed at killing Ukrainian civilians, allegations prosecutors insisted were false.
Volkova has not publicly commented on the verdict.
Sources: EFE, Digi24
