Russian journalist Yulia Starostina charged with ‘discrediting’ Russian army for saying ‘love and friendship are stronger than war’

Moscow police have charged journalist Yulia Starostina with “discrediting” the Russian army for saying “love and friendship are stronger than war” in a news report for TV Rain, according to the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo. Starostina’s hearing is scheduled for February 28.

According to case materials, the Russian authorities also viewed multiple other things Starostina said in the report as instances of “discreditation,” such as the sentence “I don’t have relatives in Ukraine, but I feel a responsibility not to be silent, to do something to bring this war to an end.”