Artemy Ostanin was convicted of inciting hatred and sentenced to five years and nine months in prison and a 300,000 rouble fine after a joke about a legless war veteran sparked nationalist outrage. He was also found guilty of offending Christian feelings for a separate joke about Jesus. Ostanin apologised for any hurt but denied criminal intent and said the veteran joke did not reference the Ukraine conflict. The verdict follows broad censorship laws passed in 2022 and fits a pattern of increased legal pressure on critics of the military.
Russian Comedian Artemy Ostanin Jailed Nearly Six Years Over Joke About Legless Veteran
Russian comedian Artemy Ostanin reacts inside an enclosure for defendants as he attends a court hearing after his March 2025 arrest over a stand‑up performance, in Moscow, Russia, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
Moscow, Feb 4 — A Russian stand-up comedian, Artemy Ostanin, was convicted of inciting hatred and on Wednesday sentenced to five years and nine months in prison and fined 300,000 roubles (about $3,908) after a joke about a legless war veteran provoked outrage among nationalists and military bloggers.
Court sources and a Reuters reporter at the hearing said prosecutors also secured a separate conviction for offending the religious feelings of Christians over an off-colour joke about Jesus, which drew anger from Orthodox nationalist groups.
Russian comedian Artemy Ostanin reacts behind a glass wall in an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing after his March 2025 arrest over a stand‑up performance, in Moscow, Russia, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
Case Details
Ostanin apologised to anyone whose feelings were hurt but denied committing a crime, saying the joke about the veteran made no reference to the conflict in Ukraine and that he had not intended to incite hatred. "My arrest and the way I have been treated were punishment enough for any offence," he told the court.
The sentence is the latest in a series of rulings that authorities say target people who spoke rudely or falsely about the Russian military since Moscow enacted broad censorship laws in 2022, shortly after it launched the war in Ukraine.
Russian comedian Artemy Ostanin stands behind a glass wall in an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing after his March 2025 arrest over a stand‑up performance, in Moscow, Russia, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
Context
Since the 2022 laws, pro-Kremlin figures and organisations have publicly denounced individuals they consider to have violated the rules and reported them to the authorities. Rights groups and press-freedom advocates say those measures have tightened controls on public speech and increased legal pressure on critics.
($1 = 76.75 roubles)
The case underscores a wider pattern of legal action against public critics amid heightened restrictions on speech during the war.
Help us improve.
