A Russian court has ordered the house arrest of a Forbes journalist who was detained on charges of spreading fake news about the Russian armed forces. The journalist will remain under house arrest for at least two months as he awaits trial.
The detention came after the journalist reposted a publication on Telegram regarding the events in Bucha, Ukraine. The city of Bucha was liberated by Ukrainian forces in March 2022, with reports of war crimes committed by the Russian army in the area.
The journalist's actions were deemed as spreading knowingly false information about the Russian armed forces under the guise of reliable reporting. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the alleged atrocities in Bucha and has dismissed claims of mass killings as fake.
According to reports, the journalist's Telegram channel had 476 subscribers and featured reposted stories from various news outlets, including the BBC's Russian outlet and Radio Freedom, regarding the events in Bucha.
The case has sparked concerns about press freedom in Russia, with critics arguing that the house arrest of the journalist is an attempt to silence dissenting voices and control the narrative surrounding the conflict in Ukraine.
