Russian authorities search home of activist Olga Misik in connection with new charges over tweet about pro-war blogger’s murder
Russian law enforcement searched the Moscow apartment where activist Olga Misik is registered as a resident on Thursday morning.
According to an image of the warrant that Misik posted on Twitter, the search was conducted in connection with new criminal charges against her for allegedly “justifying terrorism” in a tweet she posted in April about the murder of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky.
The offending tweet read:
I’m even a little shocked — how could there be difference in opinion regarding the bombing of Tatarsky? ‘Oh no, what a nightmare, they killed another scumbag and criminal.’ The murder of a fascist is the same as saving the lives of normal people. The value of a murderer’s life will never be equal to the value of an ordinary person’s life.
Olga Minisk became well-known in Russia after her prominent role in protests against the authorities’ refusal to allow independent candidates to participate in the 2019 Moscow City Duma elections. In 2021, Misik was sentenced to two years of “restricted freedom” on charges of vandalism, and she fled the country shortly after. In November 2022, the Russian authorities added Misik to the federal wanted list, and in September 2023, the court changed her sentence to imprisonment in response to a request from Russia’s Federal Prison Service.