As reported by a Reuters reporter who attended the trial, the verdict is part of a series of harsh sentences against people the authorities accuse of defaming the Russian military during the war in Ukraine.
What was the joke?
The stand-up performances from the beginning of last year were disputed.
“I was walking in the underpass, minding my own business. Suddenly I feel someone step on my leg. I turn around and say: ‘Can you be careful?’ There is no one behind me. I look down, and there sits a skater with no legs. He looks at me like I parked in a handicapped spot.
I couldn’t think of anything smarter than to lean in and say, ‘Well then don’t go so fast.’ At that moment, an older woman appeared behind me and started yelling that I was rude. And why am I rude here? I was literally run over on the subway. The guy ran into a landmine, decided to rush through the bend and somehow I ended up being rude,” Ostanin said at the time.
«Земля вам вашей судебной практик». Comedian Artemiy Ostanin’s reaction to the objection of the Municipal Court of Moscow
— Земля вам вашей судебной практик! — said the comedian immediately after the announcement of the court’s decision.
— Did you understand the objection? — asked the judge.
— No, not understood.
— 5 flight 9… https://t.co/7bIcIa6TpY pic.twitter.com/B1qE3pZSTe
— SOTA (@Sota_Vision) February 4, 2026
Ostanin was also convicted for making a joke about Jesus, which the authorities said hurt the feelings of Christians and angered the Orthodox. Although he apologized to anyone he may have offended, he denied wrongdoing, claiming he did not refer to the war in Ukraine in the joke about the veteran.
During the trial, he said that the arrest and the way the authorities treated him was punishment enough.
In 2022, shortly after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia passed a comprehensive censorship law. Since then, pro-Kremlin individuals and organizations have publicly reported those they consider violators of those laws.
(Vijesti.ba)
