Imprisonment and Repression: Cases of Activists and Journalists in Russia and Belarus

A former Russian priest, Ioann Kurmoyarov, who criticized Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, has been sentenced to three years in jail for spreading "fake news" about the Russian army. Kurmoyarov, who ran a YouTube channel called the "Orthodox Virtual Parish," had already been defrocked in April 2022. The Russian Orthodox Church, led by Patriarch Kirill, has largely supported the Kremlin's actions in Ukraine, but some clergy have spoken out against it. Russia has been cracking down on dissent, with many opposition figures either imprisoned or forced to flee the country.