Russian artist Sasha Skochilenko sentenced to prison for attaching anti-war price tags in Ukraine conflict

A Russian artist and anti-war activist named Sasha Skochilenko has been sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for replacing supermarket pricing labels with anti-war messages. Skochilenko, who has been in detention since April of last year, admitted to taking part in activism shortly after the war in Ukraine began. Her lawyers argued for her acquittal, claiming that her chronic illnesses put her at risk of dying in prison. Skochilenko protested the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by replacing supermarket labels in a St Petersburg store with anti-war messages, as called for by a feminist collective. The replacement labels stated phrases such as "Russian forces have destroyed 80% of Mariupol. For what?" and "People I know are hiding from Russian bombs in the metro. None of them are Nazis. Stop the war." During her trial, Skochilenko admitted to the charges but maintained a defiant stance. She questioned the prosecutor's lack of faith in the state and society, asserting that five small pieces of paper could not ruin statehood and public security. Skochilenko also expressed her determination to stand by her opinion and truth, regardless of whether people viewed her as being wrong or brainwashed. Under repressive laws implemented after the invasion, Skochilenko was convicted of "discrediting the Russian army." These laws effectively criminalize all anti-war activism. The trial prolonged for a year and a half, likely because it was one of the first to be brought under the new legislation. Skochilenko's sister Anna described her as a symbol of everything the Russian authorities despise. Anna highlighted Skochilenko's artistic nature, fragility, lesbian identity, and Ukrainian surname as factors that fuel the authorities' animosity towards her. Anna expressed concern that Skochilenko's chronic health conditions, including coeliac disease and a heart defect, could jeopardize her life in prison. Russian President Vladimir Putin has led an extensive crackdown on domestic opposition alongside the invasion of Ukraine. The laws used to convict Skochilenko have been employed to target numerous critics of Putin's rule. In recent cases, journalist Marina Ovsyannikova received an 8.5-year jail sentence in absentia for her on-air protest against the invasion, while British-Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years for criticizing the war.