Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced that the frivolous investigation against the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) expert Irina Zemlyana is finished. The Russian law enforcement bodies are pressing charges against her under two criminal law articles, including over the incident in Warsaw (Poland) in 2022 when the Russian ambassador was doused in red liquid during a rally Zemlyana was present at.
This was reported by the Investigative Committee press office following a meeting with the Committee’s chief Alexander Bastrykin in temporarily occupied Luhansk.
The Russian authorities claim that Iryna Zemlyana attacked the Russian Ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreev, on 9 May 2022, “splashing a red liquid on his face and clothes.” Besides “violating the immunity of a foreign state representative,” the Russian agency is charging her with “deliberate public dissemination false information about the deployment of the Russian Armed Forces” (the so-called “fake news about the army” article).
The Russian court has already chosen a measure of restraint for Zemlyana (detention in absentia) and put the expert on the “international list of wanted persons.” The Russian authorities have also included her in the list of “terrorists and extremists.”
The IMI media expert stresses that Russian “justice” is unlawful and the case is part of a continuous terror campaign.
“The Russians are masterful when it comes to terror: systematic and persistent. It is noteworthy that this is the first time in the almost four years of this case that they are charging me with spreading fake news about the Russian army. An ‘fascinating’ accusation that is applicable to anyone who does not support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” notes Iryna Zemlyana.
She added that she did not plan to interact with the aggressor state’s legal system and would work with international institutions exclusively.
The Russian news outlet Mediazona reported on 10 March 2024 that the Basmanny District Court of Moscow had arrested Iryna Zemlyana in absentia on 4 March for assaulting a person enjoying international immunity to provoke war (Part 2 of Article 360 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
The news outlet added that Iryna’s patronymic was not listed in the wanted person card, the Rosfinmonitoring record, or in the court ruling. The wanted person profile features her photo from the Warsaw rally.
On her part, Iryna Zemlyana has said that the Russian court’s ruling to arrest her was based on false charges and the entire case regarding the spring 2022 incident when the Russian ambassador in Poland got “splashed” was fabricated.
Previously
In February 2024, Iryna Zemlyana, an expert at the Institute of Mass Information, was added to the list of “terrorists and extremists” maintained by the Russian Federal Service for Financial Monitoring (Rosfinmonitoring).
In November 2022, Russia declared Iryna Zemlyana a wanted person, opening a criminal case against her for allegedly attacking the Russian ambassador Sergei Andreev in Warsaw (Poland). Iryna notes that she did not commit the attack.
A group of protesters doused the ambassador with a red liquid as he was trying to lay flowers at the Mausoleum of Soviet Soldiers on 9 May 2022. Many protesters had red paint stains on their clothes to symbolise blood. They chanted such words as “fascists,” “ruscists,” and “murderers.”
Iryna Zemlyana, who participated in the campaign, had to leave Warsaw following a series of death threats. According to her, hours after the incident, all her data, including her passport number, phone number, her address in Ukraine, email, and all social media accounts were leaked on Russian Telegram channels with a call to “exterminate” her. Zemlyana was added to the Russian “war criminals” database.
Poland investigated death threats to Iryna Zemlyana by Russians and others. In June 2023, Polish prosecutors paused the investigation into the Russian ambassador in Warsaw, Sergei Andreev, being doused with paint on 9 May 2022.
The National Police of Ukraine opened a case following Zemlyana’s statement after the incident with the Russian ambassador in Warsaw. Later, the Shevchenkiv District Police Department in Kyiv closed the criminal case over death and doxxing threats to the IMI expert Iryna Zemlyana. However, the court ordered to resume the investigation.
Interpol has not yet decided whether to declare her an international wanted person at Russia’s request or not.
