On April 12th, Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapsha announced that a court in Kaluga declined to review a lawsuit for discrediting the army against military doctor Yury Yevich. The report against Yevich stemmed from a comment he made about the poor combat training of troops.
The court has decided to send the complaint against Yury Yevich back to the police. Yevich is a military surgeon and recipient of the Man Z award (“Z” is a symbol of the Russian troops operating in Ukraine). The complaint against him stemmed from comments he made during a lecture for Rosgvardiya in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, where he discussed the poor combat training of the Russian military and the outcomes of war. It was alleged that an audience member reported him for his comments.
Yevich received support from Governor Vladislav Shapsha, pro-government military journalists, and even Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev, who offered to pay the surgeon's fine.
People who criticize the actions of the Russian army continue to face legal consequences. This includes those who may not directly speak out about the military but are still punished under defamation laws. For instance, Anastasia Rudenko, a lawyer from Ivanovo, was fined due to a post she made about a film featuring Alexei Navalny.