Czech man gets fine and 13 days' custody for anti-war protest on Red Square

A Czech man ​who staged a solo protest ​on Moscow's Red Square ‌against ​Russia's war in Ukraine has been fined and sentenced to 13 days in custody, ‌a court said on Tuesday. The Moscow court said Michal Plaminek had held up a poster with a message in English that discredited ‌Russia's armed forces - an offence under censorship laws that ‌were passed soon after Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022.

Violating those laws typically leads to an initial fine, but repeat offenders ⁠can ​face full criminal ⁠trials and long jail terms. The court said Plaminek's protest took place on ⁠Sunday and was also illegal because of its location near President Vladimir Putin's ​Kremlin residence. It added that he had resisted arrest.

A ⁠Facebook page in Plaminek's name was updated on Sunday to show a ⁠young ​man posing for a photo in front of St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square. No poster was visible in ⁠the image. Other posts on the same profile expressed support for Ukraine ⁠and called ⁠on Western countries to unite to prevent Russia from winning the war.