Russian activist arrested, charged with ‘discrediting’ the army after a one-man anti-war protest

Activist and entrepreneur Dmitry Skurikhin, from the village of Russko-Vysotskoye in the Leningrad region, has been charged with “discrediting” the Russian army for a second time.

According to human rights defense group OVD-Info, the basis of the latest case against the activist was a one-man anti-war picket that he held on February 24, 2023, the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At his solo action, he held a sign that read “I’m sorry, Ukraine.”

Human rights activists report that Skurikhin was arrested on February 25 and spent the night in jail. On February 26, a regional court handed down a 25-day prison sentence against the activist.

Dmitry Skurikhin has a long-standing engagement in activism. Since 2014, he has hung more than 200 political posters on the shop he runs in the Leningrad region. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he has been writing the names of Ukrainian cities suffering particularly grievous consequences from the war.