Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Political Activist Katz Jailed 8 Years in Absentia for Spreading 'War Fakes'

Maxim Katz. Maxim Katz / Facebook

Exiled Russian political activist Maxim Katz has been sentenced to eight years in prison in absentia for spreading “fake news” about the Russian military’s actions in Ukraine, the independent news website Mediazona reported Thursday.

Katz, 38, is well-known for his YouTube channel, where he discusses and criticizes Russia's military actions in Ukraine to his more than 1.8 million subscribers.

Last year, Russia’s Interior Ministry placed him on the federal wanted list in October 2022. He currently resides in Israel.

Investigators said Katz “falsely” accused the Russian forces of executing Ukrainian civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha in an April 2022 YouTube video that has been viewed 2.3 million times.

Moscow’s Basmanny District Court found Katz guilty, handing him an eight-year prison sentence and a four-year ban on running websites, according to a Mediazona journalist who attended the hearing.

Prosecutors had asked the court on Wednesday to sentence Katz to 10 years in a medium security prison.

The prosecution’s witness told the court that Katz presented “weak arguments,” according to Mediazona.

“He didn’t persuade me,” said the witness, Leonid Svyatodukh, who is an army veteran.

“How can you speak of mass [crimes] if there was nothing but destroyed cities [in Katz’s video]?” Svyatodukh was quoted as saying.

Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia criminalized the spread of information about Russia's military that deviated from the Kremlin’s narrative of the war.

The law also introduced jail terms of up to 15 years for the publication of "knowingly false information" about the Russian military.

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