In Russia, a formal ban on criticizing the army, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine. Russian authorities have opened a criminal case against Oleg Orlov, one of the figures of the NGO Memorial, accused of having “discredited” the Russian forces, the NGO, co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, said on Tuesday.
In a message posted on Telegram, Memorial said Oleg Orlov was being prosecuted for “public activities aimed at discrediting” the Russian armed forces, an article of the Criminal Code used against critics of the conflict in Ukraine. If charged, he faces a heavy prison sentence.
Searches at the office of the NGO
Earlier in the day, Russian police raided the homes of at least nine employees or their relatives, including Oleg Orlov and the NGO’s president, Ian Ratchinsky, as well as the Memorial office in Moscow. According to Memorial, several of them were taken to the police station after these searches.
These measures follow the opening in early March of a case for “rehabilitation of Nazism” against Memorial, the NGO said. According to Memorial, the authorities accuse him of having included in his list of victims of Soviet repressions the names of three people who would have been convicted of “treason” or collaboration with the Nazi regime. The NGO had previously described these prosecutions as absurd.