An activist was sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison for reposting a Mediazona news story on Facebook.

The Petrogradsky District Court of St Petersburg has sentenced activist Alexandra Ronkina in absentia to seven years in a penal colony under the article on “military fakes” (part 2, article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code). Mediazona reports.

In April 2025, Ronkina, who heads the Anti-War Committee of Sweden, shared a Mediazona news item on Facebook about a Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih, in which 19 people were killed, including nine children. She added her own comment to the post.

The prosecutor’s office considered the post to be the spread of false information about the Russian army. The prosecution claimed that Ronkina made the post out of political, ideological and national hatred, including towards Russian military personnel.

The criminal case against Ronkina was initiated in October 2025. The activist has lived abroad for over 20 years and holds Swedish citizenship. She previously worked at the Council of the Baltic Sea States and has been involved in the protection of women’s and children’s rights. During one of her trips to Russia, she was interrogated at the border.