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Prague Court Sentences Man to 200 Hours of Community Service for Displaying Wagner Group Symbol
![Prague Court Sentences Man to 200 Hours of Community Service for Displaying Wagner Group Symbol Prague Court Sentences Man to 200 Hours of Community Service for Displaying Wagner Group Symbol](https://storage.united24media.com/thumbs/1014x676/d/4e/6634fa27a7ae2fda286e8dcd6dc104ed.jpg)
A Prague court has sentenced a 46-year-old man to 200 hours of community service for publicly displaying the symbol of the Russian Wagner Group during an anti-government rally. The verdict was part of a plea agreement reached between the defendant, Robert Kutý, and the prosecution on January 28.
According to reports from Radio Prague International and iDnes.cz, Kutý attended a protest on October 28, 2024, wearing a sweatshirt bearing the insignia of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization sanctioned by both the European Union and the United States due to its involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Czech courts interpret the public display of such symbols as an endorsement of war crimes and crimes against peace, an offense that carries a potential prison sentence of six months to three years.
Before the trial began, Kutý reached an agreement with prosecutor Katarína Kandová, accepting a sentence of 200 hours of community service and a ban on attending political gatherings in Prague for 18 months. Presiding judge Ivana Tichá approved the agreement, stating that the punishment was appropriate. When asked about his actions, Kutý responded that he would not repeat such behavior, though the judge noted his lack of convincing remorse.
In addition to the current case, Kutý had previously received a six-month suspended sentence with a one-year probation period for a similar offense—publicly displaying Wagner Group symbols.
Reports indicate that he had also shared multiple posts on Facebook featuring Wagner insignia and images of himself wearing a T-shirt with Vladimir Putin’s portrait. In a prior incident, he attended a restaurant while wearing the same symbols, along with a St. George ribbon folded into the letter ‘Z,’ a known pro-war symbol associated with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Earlier, a British court sentenced 49-year-old Polish national Piotr Kucharski to 2.5 years in prison for impersonating a Wagner Group member. Arrested at a historical event in Suffolk, he wore Wagner insignia, displayed aggressive behavior, and falsely claimed to have fought in Ukraine. Authorities found no evidence of his involvement with the group but discovered far-right materials at his residence.