Support The Moscow Times!

Director of Ukrainian Library in Moscow Handed 4-Year Suspended Sentence

Natalya Sharina Valery Sharifulin / TASS

Natalya Sharina, former director of Moscow's State Library of Ukrainian Literature, was handed down a four- year suspended sentence on Monday for distributing extremist materials and embezzlement.

Sharina was arrested Oct. 28, 2015, on grounds of “inciting ethnic hatred and humiliating human dignity.” During a search of the library, police reportedly discovered "extremist' literature.

Two days later, Sharina was released from jail and placed under house arrest.

The crackdown on the library and its director came as Russian-Ukrainian relations reached a low, leading to speculation the raid was politically motivated. Authorities later shuttered the library.

Police added charges of embezzlement to Sharina's case in April this year. According to investigators, the former director spent 3.5 million rubles ($55,000) of the library's funds to pay her legal fees.

Commenting on the sentence, Sharina's said “it doesn't reflect reality” and that she was “shaken to the core by this whole situation,” the RBC news website reported.

Earlier this year her defense team filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that the books implicating Sharina could have been planted in the library during the search.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more