A young woman in Ukraine who said “Glory to Russia” in an online stream is now facing three years in prison.
The footage, obtained from the Ukrainian police, shows one of two young women saying “Slava Rosiyi” during an online stream, with her friend hastily putting her hand over her mouth.
The images then show the young woman, who has not been named, apparently being escorted into a police station by Ukrainian officers, with her flat then being searched.
The video then shows a substance reportedly found by officers that appears to be cannabis, with the young woman then seen apparently crying with her head in her hands.
The Ukrainian National Police in the Odesa region said in a statement on Saturday, 4th November: “The recording of a stream of young women with pro-Russian propaganda was discovered by law enforcement officers tonight while monitoring the Internet.
“Employees of the Department of Criminal Analysis of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Odesa Region quickly collected information about the young women, established their profile data and place of residence. The police confiscated mobile phones from both citizens. Searches were conducted at their place of residence. Investigators are currently working with the women.
“The event was classified as war propaganda and criminal proceedings were initiated. This crime is punishable by correctional labor for a term of up to two years or arrest for a term of up to six months, or imprisonment for a term of up to three years.
“In addition, during a search of the residence of one of the women, the police found a plastic bag with a green plant substance similar to cannabis. Currently, the issue of entering information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations is also being resolved based on Part 1 of Art. 309 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.”
The young woman has claimed that she was drunk at the time and did not mean what she said, according to Ukrainian media.
The investigation is ongoing.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 621st day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 6th November 2023, Russia had lost about 305,970 personnel, 5,288 tanks, 9,958 armoured combat vehicles, 7,389 artillery units, 867 multiple launch rocket systems, 570 air defence systems, 322 warplanes, 324 helicopters, 5,554 drones, 1,556 cruise missiles, 20 warships, 1 submarine, 9,744 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 1,047 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that a Russian missile strike during what was reportedly a medal awarding ceremony in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region that killed at least 20 people was “a tragedy that could have been avoided”.
Zelensky has ordered a criminal inquiry, with the Ukrainian army confirming that some of its soldiers from the 128 Mountain Assault Brigade were killed during the ceremony.
Zelensky added: “The main thing is to establish the full truth about what happened and to prevent this from happening again.”
Russia admitted on Sunday that Ukrainian cruise missiles had damaged a dot warship in occupied Crimea.
The admission comes a day after Ukraine announced the strike, saying it had launched 15 cruise missiles at the Butoma shipyard in the eastern coastal city of Kerch on Saturday.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that 13 of the cruise missiles had been shot down, with Ukraine saying that the damaged warship was one of Russia’s most advanced and was capable of firing Kalibr cruise missiles.
Zelensky has said that the cost of allowing Russia to win the war would be further conflict that would involve ground troops from NATO countries.
He urged US lawmakers to increase funding for the war and said that he was “not ready” for peace talks with Russia in less it withdrew its invading forces.
He said that the US “know I am not ready to speak with the terrorists because their word is nothing.”
He added: “They have to go out from our territory, only after that the world can switch on diplomacy.”
Zelensky also invited Donald to visit Ukraine, saying that it would take minutes to show the former US president his errors about the conflict.
Zelensky also said that the war in Gaza was distracting focus from the war in Ukraine as humanitarian, media and diplomatic interests shift their attention to the Middle East.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, said on Saturday that Ukraine had “made excellent progress” towards becoming a member of the European Union.
She was visiting Kyiv and affirmed continued support from the European Union “for as long as it takes”.
