Russia hands six-year prison sentence in absentia to founder of group helping men evade army service over Bucha post
A Moscow court has sentenced the founder of Get Lost, an organization that helps men escape Russian military service, to six years in prison in absentia on charges of spreading “disinformation” about the army.
Grigory Sverdlov founded Get Lost in September 2022, shortly after the Russian authorities announced mobilization in the country. He had previously served as the director of Nochlezhka, a charity that helped homeless people in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The case against Sverdlin was launched in response to a social media post he made in April 2022 about the killing of civilians in Bucha by Russian soldiers. His sentence also includes a ban on him managing websites and Telegram channels for three years after serving his sentence, if he is ever detained. He currently lives outside of Russia.
According to Mediazona, only one prosecution witness testified against him in court, saying he had “occasionally come across” Sverdlov’s posts. When asked by the prosecutor what emotions the posts caused him, the witness replied: “Offense.”
