Moscow, April 25, 2024 (AFP)
A Russian celebrity blogger who organised a risque party blasted by Russian President Vladimir Putin was fined on Thursday for "discrediting" the country's armed forces.
Russia has targeted hundreds of critics of its offensive against Ukraine under sweeping military censorship laws introduced in the days after it ordered troops into its neighbour.
A court in Moscow on Thursday hit blogger and TV presenter Anastasia Ivleeva with a 50,000 ruble ($540) fine over an Instagram post from March 2022 in which she called the campaign a "catastrophe", an AFP journalist in the court reported.
Ivleeva has been targeted by Kremlin loyalists and state media after she organised a lavish "Almost Naked" party in Moscow last December, which saw celebrity guests revel in a nightclub wearing skimpy and partially transparent outfits.
The attendees were attacked on state media and by pro-military figures for the show of opulence at a time when Russian troops were fighting in trenches on the front lines.
Ivleeva was previously hit with a 100,000 ruble fine for disrupting public order.
She was not present in court for Thursday's fine over her social media post.
The influencer's lawyers argued that the laws against discrediting the army only came into force three days after she made her post.
"What's the point of articles of law, if they can simply convict anyone they want?" lawyer Kaloi Akhilgov said after the hearing.
Many high-profile guests of the party had appearances on state TV cancelled or lost lucrative advertising contracts from Russian companies amid the backlash.
Ivleeva herself has posted increasingly pro-Kremlin messages, saying she would vote for Putin in last month's presidential election.

Sumber : AFP