Petersburg blogger faces jail time for spreading fake news about COVID-19

The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation sent a criminal case on the spread of fakes in social networks to the Primorsky Court of St. Petersburg. On the website of the department it is reported that the indictment was approved against Anton Myslivets from St. Petersburg. He is charged with Article 207.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public dissemination of knowingly false information about circumstances that pose a threat to the life and safety of citizens).

According to investigators, Myslivets created the Kramola community on the VKontakte social network and YouTube video hosting, where he published materials “containing fictitious information on topical scientific and socio-political issues, which was presented as reliable and differed from the generally recognized one.” In particular, we are talking about a video dedicated to the coronavirus infection, which said that the COVID-19 vaccine was created “in order to reduce the population of the Russian Federation”, and its use “is fatal”.

In August 2021, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation commented on the progress of the investigation: “The conclusions of the investigation about the unreliability of the data published by Myslivets are based on a combination of evidence, including documents received from healthcare authorities.” “The investigation was provided with detailed results of clinical studies subsequently obtained, which confirm that the vaccines developed in Russia do not pose a danger to human health.” At the same time, the accused pleaded guilty and explained the spread of fakes with a desire to increase the number of views on his channels.

The Prosecutor General’s Office states that Anton Myslivets “created a real threat of forming a negative attitude among the population towards the measures taken to prevent, treat and combat the spread of coronavirus infection, and also encouraged them to take dangerous actions in the form of refusing necessary medical care.”

Dissemination of false information is punishable by a fine of 300,000 to 700,000 rubles or by compulsory (correctional) labor for up to 1 year, and by restriction of liberty for up to 3 years.