Russian pediatrician jailed for 5.5 years after patient’s mother reports her for allegedly criticizing military

A Moscow court has sentenced 67-year-old pediatrician Nadezhda Buyanova to 5.5 years in prison for spreading “disinformation” about the Russian army, according to Mediazona.

The charges against Buyanova were filed in February after the mother of one of her patients, 34-year-old Anastasia Akinshina, reported her to the police. Akinshina claimed that during an appointment, she mentioned her son was distressed because his father had died while fighting in Ukraine. In response, Buyanova allegedly said that all Russian soldiers are “legitimate targets for Ukraine,” that Russia had initiated the conflict, and that Russian forces were killing civilians. Buyanova has denied making these statements.

The case against Buyanova was launched by Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Russian Investigative Committee. The pediatrician was originally allowed to remain home under pre-trial restrictions, but she was later sent to remand prison. State media reported that this change occurred after she was detained at the Russian border.