russia is a joke of a country ......but a bad joke !

Fined for yellow and blue shoes: How Russian laws smother dissent

For years Kremlin critics have faced a host of laws which could be used against them, and since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that toolbox of measures has swelled in size.

The laws target basic rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly - even though they are enshrined in Russia's constitution.

The repressive nature of the punishments, often disproportionate to the offence, harks back to the methods of the old Soviet Union.

Spreading 'false information'

The law used most widely against critics of the war in Ukraine is the criminal offence of spreading "deliberately false information" about the Russian army.

It was rushed through parliament shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "urgently needed because of the absolutely unprecedented information war waged against our country".

According to prominent Russian human rights group OVD-Info, more than 300 people have since been charged or convicted under it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw4yv7nv8xlo