Russia jails student for 10 days over pro-Ukraine wi-fi name

A Russian student was imprisoned for 10 days in Moscow after he used a pro-Kyiv slogan as the name of his wi-fi network.

The network was named by the Moscow State University student as "Slava Ukraini!" which means "Glory to Ukraine!".

He was found guilty by a Moscow court of displaying "symbols of extremist organisations" on Thursday (Mar 7).

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Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, thousands of people have been given prison sentences or imposed fines for either supporting Ukraine or criticising Russia's invasion.

The police arrested the student on Wednesday morning (Mar 7) in Moscow after a police officer had reported the name of the network to the authorities.

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As per the court documents, his room - which was inside the university's student accommodation - was inspected by the police officers after which they found his personal computer and a wi-fi router.

According to the court, he had used the network to "promote the slogan 'Slava Ukraini!' to an unlimited number of users within wi-fi range." The police confiscated the router.

The supporters of Ukraine have been using "Slava Ukraini" as a rallying cry and are regularly chanted in protests against the full-scale invasion of Russia which was launched onFebruary 24,2022.

Court finds student guilty of 'public demonstration of Nazi symbolism'

The court also found the student guilty of "public demonstration of Nazi symbolism... or symbols of extremist organisations".

Russian President Vladimir Putin has always claimed that a "neo-Nazi regime" is present in Ukraine and has used this excuse to justify his invasion.

The student has joined the long list of Russian citizens who have faced punishment for making comments or carrying out some action opposing the war.

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In February, hundreds of people were detained in Russia after they laid flowers in memory of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in suspicious circumstances while staying in an Arctic Circle prison.

In Russia, the conflict is not allowed to be called a "war" and should be referred to as a "special military operation".

As per Amnesty International, more than 21,000 people last year were targeted by "repressive laws" of Russia which were used to "crack down on anti-war activists".

The human rights group claimed that "deeply unfair trials" were used to "dish out prison sentences and hefty fines to silence critics in response to the slightest dissent."

(With inputs from agencies)