Russian academic fined 600,000 rubles. Reason: He criticised Putin's Ukraine war

A court in the northern Komi Republic handed the fine to 65-year-old Boris Kagarlitsky, who was arrested in July.

Russia on Tuesday sentenced a left-wing academic critical of the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine to a 600,000 ruble (6,180 euros) fine, in a rare lighter punishment during Moscow's massive crackdown on dissent.

Representational picture (AP)

A court in the northern Komi Republic handed the fine to 65-year-old Boris Kagarlitsky, who was arrested in July and charged with "publicly calling for terrorism."

Kagarlitsky is a well-known sociologist who wrote extensively on Russian society and leftist political history.

He was teaching at the Moscow Higher School of Economics, a university once seen as a bastion of liberal values.

His lawyer Sergei Yerokhov told state news agency RIA Novosti that he believed it was the only non-prison sentence for this charge in Russia in recent years.

"We will probably not appeal. In the current circumstances, we believe this is a successful solution to the case," Yerokhov was quoted as saying.

Kagarlitsky was arrested after a comment he made on social media calling a Ukrainian attack on Moscow's Crimea bridge "more or less understandable."

He also predicted more "new unpleasant things, even more serious ones" on Russian territory.

Russian authorities declared Kagarlitsky a foreign agent in 2022, a status with Soviet-era overtones that makes it harder for critics to operate.

Kagarlitsky was a political prisoner between 1982 and 1983, according to a recently deleted profile on his university's website.

Russia has banned criticism of its Ukraine campaign and has punished thousands of citizens for speaking out against the military campaign.