Russian actor and TV host faces charges over anti-Ukrainian rhetoric
Russian propagandist Boris Korchevnikov to face trial (Photo: Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office)
The pre-trial investigation into Russian propagandist Boris Korchevnikov, who called for the "destruction of Ukrainians" on TV, has concluded and his indictment has been forwarded to court, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on June 10.
"Investigation showed that Russia systematically uses the media, public organizations, and public figures for an information war against Ukraine," Ukrainian statement read.
"Representatives of culture, science, religion, and show business are involved in spreading narratives beneficial to the Kremlin. One such public mouthpiece for Kremlin propaganda was Korchevnikov, who, as the head of the Orthodox TV channel Spas, systematically carried out information and propaganda activities against Ukraine."
The Russian actor systematically called for the seizure of Ukrainian territories in his speeches, justified Russia's war against Ukraine, supported Russian political and military leadership, systematically criticized the Ukrainian government, and regularly visited temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. According to prosecutors, a special tool of his propaganda is religious rhetoric.
He is charged with committing a number of criminal offenses, specifically:
Public calls to alter the boundaries of Ukraine's territory and state border in violation of the order established by the Constitution, combined with inciting national enmity (Part 2 of Art. 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including repeated offenses).
Justifying and recognizing as lawful the armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine, as well as glorifying persons involved in this aggression, committed using the mass media (Part 3 of Art. 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including repeated offenses).
Illegal crossing of Ukraine's state border outside official checkpoints with the aim of harming the state's interests, committed by a group of persons (Part 2 of Art. 332-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
On March 19, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that they issued a notice of suspicion to the Russian actor and propagandist. The court will now hear the case and eventually hand down a verdict on the charges.
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