Dissenters of the Russian army with regard to the war in Ukraine are being given swift punishments. On Monday, Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, best known for his popular post-apocalyptic Metro 2033 series of novels, was given an eight-year prison sentence.
A Moscow court found him guilty of “deliberately spreading false information about Russia’s armed forces.” As Glukhovsky is not currently in Russia, he was tried in absentia. He is but one of many artists given time in prison, following the trend of Russia cracking down on any challenge made against it’s government.
Free thinking no longer seems to be an option for those of Russian origin, as anyone who goes against the government’s imposed narrative on the war against Ukraine can be handed a prison sentence of up to fifteen years, per a bill created by lawmakers after the invasion.
Notably, last Friday, Russian opposition leader, lawyer, and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny was sentenced to nineteen years of prison on charges of extremism.
With Navalny having been the most prominent face of anti-corruption against Russian president Vladimir Putin, it looks as though anyone posting material or campaigning against Russia’s policies is liable to face jail time, as Glukhovsky was found guilty by Moscow of allegedly “posting texts and videos on his social media channels that accused Russian servicemen of committing crimes in Ukraine.” According to prosecutors, this material was found to be fake.
Notably, while already outside Russia in April 2022, Glukhovsky wrote:
The war in Ukraine, unleashed by Putin is becoming more terrible and inhuman every day, and the pretexts under which it was started look more and more insignificant and false.
Labeled a “foreign agent” in October 2022, Glukhovsky, a long-time journalist, has been under watch by the Russian government in the face of his vocal criticism of the Kremlin. He has been supportive of Navalny, as well as opposition leader Ilya Yashin and others in the past. Given the fact that the Russian government has outlawed independent reporting and protests against its invasion of Ukraine as of last year, it remains to be seen what the future holds in store for dissenters and activists, including artists of all kinds.
Glukhovsky is famed for his Metro novels, which spawned the hit video-game series developed by Ukrainian studio 4A Games. His current whereabouts are unknown.
