Russia Sentences Exiled Journalist Yekaterina Kotrikadze and Businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin to Prison in Absentia Over 'War Fakes'

Exiled Figures Convicted Over 'War Fakes'

Moscow courts have delivered in absentia prison sentences to prominent exiled Russian-Georgian journalist Yekaterina Kotrikadze and businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin. On Monday, February 16, 2026, Kotrikadze received an eight-year sentence, while Chichvarkin was sentenced to nine years, both on charges of disseminating 'fakes' about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and violating the country's 'foreign agent' legislation.

The rulings underscore Russia's ongoing crackdown on critical voices, particularly those commenting on the conflict in Ukraine from abroad. Both individuals reside outside the Russian Federation.

Details of the Charges and Sentences

Yekaterina Kotrikadze, who serves as the news director and anchor for the exiled broadcaster TV Rain (Dozhd), was sentenced by Moscow's Golovinsky District Court. Prosecutors accused her of posting about alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine on her personal Telegram channel in the spring of 2022. The charges were brought under Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code, which criminalizes the 'public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,' and Article 330.1, pertaining to 'foreign agent' violations. She was also prohibited for four years from administering websites, electronic networks, or information and telecommunications networks after serving her sentence. Kotrikadze was designated a 'foreign agent' by the Russian Ministry of Justice in October 2022 and added to Rosfinmonitoring's list of terrorists and extremists in October 2025.

Businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, known as the owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant Hide in London and a co-founder of the Euroset mobile phone chain, was sentenced by Moscow's Dorogomilovsky District Court. He was accused of posting a statement from the Russian Anti-War Committee on his Instagram in August 2024. Chichvarkin was also charged with spreading 'war fakes' and violating the 'foreign agent' law. He was labeled a 'foreign agent' by Russia's Justice Ministry in June 2022. Chichvarkin had previously fled Russia in 2008 due to what he claimed were politically motivated charges, which were later dropped in 2011.

Russia's 'War Fakes' Legislation

The legal framework for these convictions stems from legislation enacted shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On March 4, 2022, President Vladimir Putin signed laws that introduced severe penalties for disseminating what Russian authorities deem 'false information' about the military. This legislation, primarily Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code, carries potential prison terms of up to 15 years for those found guilty of spreading 'false' information with 'socially dangerous consequences.' The law's implementation has led to a significant exodus of foreign media from Russia and the cessation of operations for many independent Russian news outlets.