NOVBOSIBIRSK, Russia -- An independent lawmaker in the Russian city of Novosibirsk has been detained over a tweet she posted about Russia's ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
A witness told RFE/RL that Khelga Pirogova was detained by three men in civilian clothings after a fundraising event on July 21. According to the witness, the men did not present an arrest warrant, nor did they provide any explanation as to why they were detaining the lawmaker.
Pirogova told RFE/RL later that she was charged with "discrediting Russia's armed forces."
Media reports said earlier that several lawmakers in the Siberian city had reported Pirogova over her post on Twitter about Russian troops killed in Ukraine.
In her tweet, which has since been deleted, Pirogova commented on volunteers from Russia's lower economic classes dying on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The Investigative Committee said earlier this month that its chief, Aleksandr Bastrykin, had ordered that the tweet be investigated.
In early March, President Vladimir Putin signed a law that calls for lengthy prison terms for distributing "deliberately false information" about Russian military operations as the Kremlin seeks to control the narrative about its war in Ukraine.
The law envisages sentences of up to 10 years in prison for individuals convicted of an offense, while the penalty for the distribution of "deliberately false information" about the Russian Army that leads to "serious consequences" is 15 years in prison.
It also makes it illegal "to make calls against the use of Russian troops to protect the interests of Russia" or "for discrediting such use," with a penalty of up to three years in prison. The same provision applies to calls for sanctions against Russia.
