Why Was a Russian Art Teacher Sentenced to 20 Years for Doodling in Newspaper?

AFP/APP

Warsaw: Daniil Klyuka, a 28-year-old art teacher in Russia, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, a case highlighting the severe crackdown on dissent in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Klyuka, a quiet schoolteacher in Dankov, was reportedly arrested in February 2023 by Russia’s FSB security service after being accused of sending funds in cryptocurrency to Ukraine’s Azov brigade, a group labeled “terrorist” by Russia.

Klyuka denies the charges, believing that his arrest stemmed from doodling horns, moustaches, and beards on photos of Russian officials in a pro-Kremlin newspaper.

His case has brought to light the return of denunciation practices, a stark reminder of Soviet-era repression.