Pyotr Verzilov, Mediazona founder and Pussy Riot spokesperson, charged with distributing ‘fakes’ about the Russian army

Mediazona publisher and Pussy Riot member Pyotr Verzilov has been charged with distributing, with politically malicious motives, “fakes” about the Russian army.

Mediazona reports that the case against Verzilov is based on social media posts he made about the killing of civilians in Bucha. According to the investigation these posts “created a real threat of the formation of a false opinion among citizens about the aims and objectives of the ‘special military operation,’” thereby “harming the interests of the Russian Federation.”

Pyotr Verzilov left Russia in late 2020. He’s currently in Ukraine, where he’s filming a documentary about the Russian invasion.