Journalist Yulia Starostina, who worked to help displaced Ukrainians, fined for ‘discrediting’ Russian army

A Moscow court has fined journalist Yulia Starostina 50,000 rubles ($667) on charges of “discrediting” the Russian army, according to the independent outlet Mediazona.

Starostina was hit with the charges earlier this month because of a December interview in which she talked about having a tattoo that reads “stronger than war” and said she feels responsible for the war in Ukraine, among other evidently illegal statements.

Starostina has done reporting for the outlets Proekt, The Bell, RBC, and Meduza. After the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, she began providing assistance to displaced Ukrainians in Russia.