Pediatrician in Moscow Sentenced to 5.5 Years for Allegedly Criticizing War in Ukraine During Patient Visit

A Moscow court sentenced pediatrician Nadezhda Buyanova, 68, to five-and-a-half years in prison for allegedly criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine during a patient visit earlier this year, according to Russian media The Moscow Times on November 12.

Buyanova was convicted under wartime laws penalizing “fake” information about the Russian military, used widely to silence dissent.

"This is absurd," Buyanova stated in court before Judge Olga Fedina delivered the sentence. Her arrest in February followed a complaint by Anastasia Akinshina, the ex-wife of a Russian soldier killed in Ukraine, who claimed Buyanova had criticized Russia's role in the invasion during a medical appointment.

Buyanova maintained her innocence throughout the trial, saying, “I am a pediatrician. I do not regret a single day.”

In court, Buyanova remarked, "We must empathize with one another and love others... but there is no paradise on earth, there is no peace on earth." Despite the absence of public evidence, Akinshina's seven-year-old son also testified against Buyanova.

According to Russian rights organization Memorial, Russia is holding nearly 800 political prisoners, most of whom have been convicted or charged for opposing the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Previously on November 8, a Russian man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of “high treason” after reportedly donating $54 to support Ukraine’s military, reported the Moscow City Court on November 8.