The Gryazovetsky District Court of the Vologda Region found 64-year-old pensioner from Veliky Ustyug and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, Nikolai Smyshlyaev, guilty under an article about “discrediting” the Russian army, including for a post with the words “you can’t kill people.” This was reported in the Veliky Ustyug Info group. Smyshlyaev was fined 30 thousand rubles.

The court found that on April 4, Smyshlyaev published on his VKontakte page “comments in the form of pictures with inscriptions” that “discredited” the military. These were reposts of an open letter to the head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin about the murders in Bucha, criticism of the RIA Novosti article “What Russia should do with Ukraine” and Smyshlyaev’s own post with the words “You can’t kill people.”

The man refused to admit his guilt and stated that he “respects” the Russian army and was not going to “discredit” it. He added that he "was involved in the fighting in Afghanistan, in connection with which <he - The Insider> developed an aversion to war."

Together with friends, Smyshlyaev in 2015-2016 erected monuments and memorial plaques to soldiers who participated in the Great Patriotic War in the villages of the Gryazovets region.

“You can support the veteran and help with the payment of a fine by transferring to his personal card 2200 3803 1022 5404,” Veliky Ustyug Info says in the post.