In a high-profile case highlighting Russia’s intensifying crackdown on anti-war dissent, 19-year-old activist Darya Kozyreva has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using graffiti and excerpts of Ukrainian poetry. The ruling, handed down by a Russian court on Friday, found Kozyreva guilty of “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian armed forces, a charge increasingly used to silence opposition voices since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Kozyreva first drew authorities’ attention in December 2022, at just 17 years old, when she spray-painted the words “Murderers, you bombed it. Judases” on a public sculpture outside the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The artwork, symbolizing ties between the Russian city and Mariupol—a Ukrainian city devastated during a prolonged Russian siege—became the canvas for her raw condemnation of the war.
Her activism continued into early 2024, despite previous legal repercussions, including a 30,000-ruble fine (approximately $370 USD) for anti-war social media posts. The consequences escalated when she was expelled from the medical faculty of St. Petersburg State University, effectively derailing her academic future.
On the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kozyreva staged another symbolic protest. She taped a printed verse from Taras Shevchenko, the father of modern Ukrainian literature, onto his statue in a St. Petersburg park. The chosen passage, drawn from one of Shevchenko’s revolutionary poems, read:
“Oh bury me, then rise ye up /
And break your heavy chains /
And water with the tyrants’ blood /
The freedom you have gained.”
The poetic display prompted her swift arrest and detention, initially held in pre-trial custody for nearly a year before being placed under house arrest in February 2025.
Kozyreva Declares Innocence: “The Truth Is Never Guilty”
Throughout the trial, Kozyreva maintained her innocence and defiance, insisting that the case against her was politically motivated and devoid of factual substance.
“I have no guilt, my conscience is clear,” she told the court in her final statement, as quoted in a transcript by Mediazona, an independent Russian media outlet.
“Because the truth is never guilty.”
She pleaded not guilty, describing the charges as “one big fabrication.” Despite her defense, the court ruled in favor of the prosecution, citing her history of public criticism against the military and her interview with Sever.Realii, a Russian-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as evidence of her “repeated discrediting” of the army.
Kozyreva’s sentencing marks another chapter in Russia’s intensifying suppression of anti-war activism. According to Memorial, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Russian human rights group, she is one of at least 234 individuals currently imprisoned in Russia for expressing opposition to the war.
Analysts and international observers see her case as emblematic of how youth activism, symbolic resistance, and even literary expression are being criminalized under wartime censorship laws introduced after the 2022 invasion.
The law against “discrediting the Russian military” has been widely criticized for its vague wording and heavy-handed enforcement, allowing authorities to target a wide range of dissenting voices—from social media users and journalists to academics and artists.
Though her case has not yet sparked the international outcry of higher-profile detentions, human rights advocates are beginning to rally around Kozyreva’s story, calling her a prisoner of conscience. Her poetic protests and unapologetic stance have drawn comparisons to Soviet-era dissidents who used literature and culture to challenge the regime.
As her legal team considers appealing the verdict, supporters are urging global pressure on Russian authorities to release Kozyreva and other anti-war prisoners.
