A young Moscow resident was recently fined and prosecuted by police for dyeing his hair yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

On the night of April 27, Stanislav Netesov was attacked by unknown assailants at a bus stop in the center of Moscow as he was returning from work. He had his phone stolen and a tooth knocked out, but when he went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Tverskoy district the next day to report the crime he was shocked to learn that, instead of providing him assistance, the authorities were more interested in the color of his hair. Netesov had his hair dyed yellow, blue, and green which the police considered a symbol of Ukraine and an offense to the Russian army, which is punishable by law.

Speaking with OVD-Info, Stanislav Netesov said that police drew up a report on him for his “crime”, took his fingerprints, and handed him a summons to the military registration and enlistment office, declaring that they would force him to “kiss his native soil in the trenches.”

Russian courts recognize any statements considered anti-war as discrediting the army, a crime punishable with a fine of up to 50,000 rubles ($543), and up to five years in prison for repeated offenses. According to “ Vestka ”, 8,628 protocols were issued under the Code of Administrative Offenses article on “discrediting” the army between 2022 and 2023 in Russia.

Last summer, a court in Penza fined pensioner Nikolai Gutsenovich 100 thousand rubles for “discrediting” the Russian army by liking social media posts in which the actions of the Russian military were characterized in a negative way. These posts were displayed on his page on the social network and were viewable by “an indefinite number of people”.