Interpol refused to extradite to Russia journalists Alexander Nevzorov, Alexander Soldatov, former police officer Oleg Kashintsev and blogger Veronika Belotserkovsky, who are being persecuted in Russia under the article about “fakes” about the Russian army (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). Russia demanded their extradition, but the letter from the Interpol Task Force states that the organization considers the article itself, under which the Russians are being prosecuted, to be politically motivated. This is stated in the letters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, which were published by the Agentura publication.
It is also noted that the criminal legislation of the countries where, according to the Russian authorities, the persecuted are located (Finland, Switzerland, Montenegro, France and the Netherlands), there is no similar article.
An article about “fakes” about the Russian army appeared in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine. The maximum punishment for it is up to 15 years in prison. The first person to receive a real term under the article about "fakes" was the Moscow municipal deputy Alexei Gorinov. On July 8, he was sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony for calling at a meeting of the council of deputies to stop the war in Ukraine.
