20-year-old Russian student charged with ‘terrorism’ after she criticised Russia’s war in Ukraine on her social media

Olyesa Krivtsova, a 20-year-old Russian student, has been placed under house arrest in Europe for posting an anti-war message on her Instagram account. She has been charged with ‘terrorism’ for criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine on social media. Krivtsova’s fellow students reported her to the authorities, and she is now in Lithuania, where she is on Moscow’s list of most-wanted criminals.

Krivtsova, who hails from the northern city of Arkhangelsk, faces over 10 years in prison for repeatedly ‘discrediting’ the Russian Armed Forces and ‘justifying terrorism’ over social media posts. She fled to Lithuania on March 15 to avoid prosecution and said, ‘I’m in Lithuania now, and I can’t believe it’s all over. Russia will be free!’ She is now wanted by the Russian Interior Ministry.

A court in Arkhangelsk replaced Krivtsova’s house arrest with imprisonment in absentia, and Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service added her name to its list of terrorists and extremists. Russian banks must freeze the accounts of individuals and organizations on this list. Krivtsova is one of 57 people in Russia charged with ‘discrediting the Russian Armed Forces’ since the country passed laws outlawing public criticism of the invasion of Ukraine last year.

Krivtsova’s charges stem from her reposting a friend’s criticism of fellow students who supported Russia-staged referendums in occupied Ukrainian regions and a post justifying the Crimean Bridge explosion. Her fellow students at Russia’s Northern (Arctic) Federal University reported her to law enforcement.

The case has sparked outrage among human rights groups, who argue that Krivtsova’s arrest is an infringement of her freedom of speech. Critics say that Russia is cracking down on dissent and that the charges against Krivtsova are a way of silencing opposition to the government’s policies in Ukraine.