Search
The Zyuzinsky District Court in Moscow has sentenced historian Pavel Syutkin to six years in prison on charges of spreading military “fake news” (paragraph “d” of Part 2, Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by a correspondent from Mediazona who was present in the courtroom. The trial was held behind closed doors. The prosecution had demanded an eight-year prison term for Syutkin.
The criminal case was triggered by a post Syutkin published on his Telegram channel on 19 April 2022. In the post, he wrote about shelling in Kyiv and the killing of civilians in Bucha, and compared the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the actions of Nazi Germany.
Syutkin was detained in October 2025, after which the court sent him to a remand centre. The historian did not admit guilt. In a letter from prison, he called his prosecution political and linked it to his outspoken anti-war stance.
Pavel Syutkin — a Candidate of Historical Sciences and author of books on Russian and Soviet cuisine. Together with his wife Olga Syutkina, he spent many years researching the history of food, publishing books and running a Telegram channel as a couple. Before his arrest, Syutkin also took part in TV and radio programmes about culinary history.
In 2025, Pavel and Olga together worked on the book “The Birth of Russian Cuisine. The 9th–17th Centuries.” Olga Syutkina also noted that they always co-authored their books, with most of the historical content prepared by Pavel. The book “The Birth of Russian Cuisine,” published in 2026 by New Literary Observer, was released only under Olga Syutkina’s name.