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Publisher arrested in absentia on charges of spreading fake news about Russian army

Moscow’s Basmanny District Court has granted an investigator’s petition that Pyotr Verzilov

MOSCOW, March 27. /TASS/. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court has arrested Mediazona publisher Pyotr Verzilov in absentia. Verzilov, who has been designated as a foreign agent in Russia, was charged with spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces, a court spokesperson told TASS on Monday.

"Moscow’s Basmanny District Court has granted an investigator’s petition that Pyotr Verzilov, charged under Paragraph (d), Article 207.3.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, be taken into custody for two months, with the period of custody to be calculated from the date either of his extradition to Russia or his detention in Russia," the spokesperson specified.

The case against Verzilov was filed in connection with two tweets and two posts on Instagram (banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist in Russia) concerning the events in Bucha.

Earlier, the founder of Mediazona (labeled as a foreign agent media outlet in Russia) was placed on the wanted list for concealing his second citizenship. According to investigators, Verzilov failed to file an official declaration that he held a Canadian passport.

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