Sergei Mikhailov was arrested in the spring of 2022, and is now sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony.

The prosecution demanded that the founder of the newspaper be sentenced to nine years in prison. In addition to the prison term, he was banned from journalism for four years. The journalist does not admit guilt.

The court of Gorno-Altaisk sentenced journalist and founder of the local newspaper ‘Listok’ Sergei Mikhailov to eight years of general regime colony, reports the regional department of the Investigative Committee. In addition, he was banned from journalistic and editorial activities for four years.

Mikhailov was found guilty under part 2 of article 207.3 of the Criminal Code (spreading false information about the actions of the Russian army on the grounds of political hatred and hostility). The prosecutor’s office demanded that he be sentenced to nine years in prison.

The journalist was detained in the spring of 2022 in Lyubertsy near Moscow, where he rented a flat. He was taken to Gorno-Altaisk and arrested, and the editorial office of Listok was searched. According to the investigation, in March and April of the same year Mikhailov published materials that contained ‘knowingly false information’ about the goals and objectives of military operations in Ukraine.

Mikhailov did not admit guilt. ‘I categorically disagree with this accusation. And all these years I have been writing what I consider to be the truth, albeit bitter, but out of love for people, and not at all because of hatred for certain political figures,’ he said in his last word.

‘Listok’ calls itself an information and analytical weekly, the publication is registered in Gorno-Altaisk. In April 2022, the publisher, Listok Publishing House LLC, was charged with an administrative case for calling for sanctions.

Source: rbc.ru