Russian woman, 70, whom Ukrainian President Zelensky called a ‘handsome young man’ fined 40,000 rubles by Moscow court
- Slegina’s trial in a Moscow court lasted just five minutes and fined her £393
- She was interrogated and asked to sign a piece of paper that she could not read
A 70-year-old Russian woman has been charged with ‘discrediting’ the Russian military after she described Ukrainian President Zelensky, 45, as a ‘handsome young man’.
Olga Slegina was fined 40,000 rubles (£393) for her comments last December, according to to the Memorial Human Rights Center, located in Moscow.
At a health center in Nalchik, near Georgia, she reportedly talked to another woman who called Zelensky a “freak” and said she thought he had “a good sense of humor.”
In a hearing in Moscow that reportedly lasted only five minutes, the pensioner was charged under “war censorship” laws introduced in March 2022.
Zelensky was a comedian and actor before turning to politics. Slegina was tried for comments that included saying that the Ukrainian president had a good sense of humour
According to Memorial, Slegina was tried for her remarks she made at the sanitarium last year and charged under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.
The pensioner from Moscow spoke to a woman from Odessa, Ukraine, over dinner about the pronunciation of a Ukrainian word for a regional type of bread.
Waitress Natalya Zakharova joined the “humorous” conversation on Dec. 24 and reportedly called Zelensky both “ugly” and “freak,” according to several sources.
Slegina ignored the comments, adding, “Everyone used to laugh at his jokes.
“Don’t the Ukrainians in your republic shout ‘Glory to Ukraine’ like we do in Moscow?”
Zelensky was a comedian and actor before entering politics.
The censorship laws were introduced in March 2022 to provide “massive administrative fines” for people who “discredited” the Russian armed forces and their operations.
This includes the ‘calls to prevent the use of Russian armed forces for the interests of the Russian Federation’.
Three days later, Slegina was approached by a man in civilian clothes over the comments. He said that three people had reported her to the police with statements.
She was taken to a police car and driven to a police station. They claimed she had “praised” Zelensky, to which she said she had only commented on his appearance.
She was questioned and asked to sign a document, which she reportedly couldn’t read properly because of her cataracts.
She said she didn’t understand what was happening and wanted “everything to end soon.”
Memorial said the document sign “changed” her words, as previously reported.
Putin signed into law the censorship laws introduced on March 4 to issue penalties for the dissemination of so-called “unreliable information” about the Russian armed forces
Due to underlying health issues, Slegina was unable to attend her trial.
The chairman said that there was no good reason to postpone the hearing.
“Slegina isn’t in intensive care… walks, life, health,” she said.
Slegina was fined nearly £400 and reportedly intends to appeal.
She was represented by a defense attorney OVD Infoan independent Russian human rights media project aimed at combating political persecution.