Czech man gets fine and 13 days' custody for anti-war protest on Red Square

MOSCOW, Sept 22 - A Czech man who staged a solo protest on Moscow's Red Square against Russia's war in Ukraine has been fined and sentenced to 13 days in custody, a court said on Tuesday.

The Moscow court said Michal Plaminek had held up a poster with a message in English that discredited Russia's armed forces  - an offence under censorship laws that were passed soon after Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022.

Violating those laws typically leads to an initial fine, but repeat offenders can face full criminal trials and long jail terms.

The court said Plaminek's protest took place on Sunday and was also illegal because of its location near President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin residence. It added that he had resisted arrest.

A Facebook page in Plaminek's name was updated on Sunday to show a young man posing for a photo in front of St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square. No poster was visible in the image.

Other posts on the same profile expressed support for Ukraine and called on Western countries to unite to prevent Russia from winning the war. REUTERS