Belgorod teacher who displayed poster about Putin on lamppost left Russia
Law enforcement authorities had previously initiated legal proceedings against Alexander Shramkov, a physics and mathematics teacher, for displaying a poster that read &q…
Law enforcement authorities had previously initiated legal proceedings against Alexander Shramkov, a physics and mathematics teacher, for displaying a poster that read "Putin is a murderer." The teacher chose to leave Russia, as he faced the possibility of a criminal case for repeatedly discrediting the army. In April 2022, Shramkov was fined for an anti-war poster he had placed on a building's facade within his neighborhood, as reported by the Telegram channel “Pepel.”
The poster appeared in Belgorod on September 21, with a second placard found in the Novooskolomsk city district.
Fines for expressions critical of President Putin are not uncommon. Konstantin Okunev in Perm was fined 617 thousand rubles ($6,383) for his social media posts critical of the president and the government. In March, politician Mikhail Abdalkin faced a 150-thousand-ruble ($1,552) fine for sharing a video where he humorously watched Vladimir Putin's address with noodles dangling from his ears. The police claimed that this act disparaged the armed forces.