Film critic Barabash did not appeal the verdict in absentia for fakes about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Film critic and journalist Ekaterina Barabash (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation), who was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia for faking stories about the Russian army, did not appeal the verdict, nor did the defense challenge it. Lawyer Mikhail Biryukov informed Izvestia about this on June 9.

"They didn't appeal," he said, adding that the decision was a joint one.

In February 2025, the court placed Barabash under house arrest. The film critic was charged with spreading fakes about the Russian Armed Forces. According to the investigation, Barabash posted false information on a social network. During the interrogation, the defendant admitted her guilt.

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The 17-year-old author of the stuffing admitted to Izvestia that no one in the opposition media had checked his inventions.

Last spring, Barabash was put on the wanted list, and the court changed the measure of restraint to imprisonment in absentia. On March 25, a court in the Moscow region sentenced her to five years in prison in absentia. According to the lawyer, the critic was also banned from administering Internet sites for three years after his release.