Russian court sends 19-year-old to compulsory psychiatric treatment for spreading ‘disinformation’ about army

A court in Russia’s Moscow region has ordered 19-year-old activist Maksim Lypkan to undergo compulsory psychiatric treatment after he was charged with spreading “disinformation” about the Russian army, the human rights project OVD-Info reported, citing Lypkan’s lawyer.

The charges against Lypkan have been dropped on the grounds of the activist’s “insanity at the moment of the crime.”

According to the outlet Mediazona, Lypkan’s case was launched in response to an interview in which he spoke about his activism and his attempts to get a protest rally approved by the authorities. OVD-Info reported that Lypkan was targeted for posts he made on Telegram.

Lypkan’s lawyer has reported that the activist’s cellmates threatened him and used physical force against him because of his political views. He was eventually separated from them by prison administrators.

Maksim Lypkin is the youngest person to have been charged with spreading “disinformation” about the Russian army.