Father of five from Tver to stand trial for anti-war posts
Photo: Photo from Sergey Neverov's personal archive
Sergey Neverov is accused of repeated discrediting of the army (Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). In the summer of 2022, he was fined 30,000 rubles for a Facebook* post. He received threats from unknown individuals, and Maksim Zhirkov, a deputy for Tver City Council, warned Neverov of potential denunciation.
The criminal case was initiated in the autumn of 2022. It was based on Neverov’s repost of the video titled 'What for and for whom do you go to war and murder?' and an entry on Russia's army withdrawal from Kherson. The man’s apartment was searched in May 2023. Masked law enforcers broke down the door, woke up Neverov’s children, and confiscated all the gadgets. The court banned Sergey from attending mass events and using the internet.
The activist refuses to plead guilty. He believes that authorities try to take revenge due to his opposition to the construction of a high-speed railway in Tver Oblast. Neverov was one of the leaders of the protest movement in Tver. He advocated for local self-government, assisted independent candidates, and planned participation in the City Council elections.
The first court session in Neverov’s case is scheduled for April 23. He faces up to 5 years in prison.
In April 2024, Olga Avdeyeva, a mother of four from Udmurtia, was fined 120,000 rubles for the word 'Nazi' written on the theater wall. She was found guilty of repeated discrediting of the army. Avdeyeva did not admit her responsibility.