Celebrity cookbook author Veronika Belotserkovskaya, dubbed "Russia's Nigella Lawson," has been charged by Russian officials with posting "false information" about the Ukraine war and could become the first person to be jailed under Moscow's new censorship laws banning criticism of the conflict.
Belotserkovskaya accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of turning "boys aged 18-to-20" into "the mincemeat of [his] imperial ambitions," according to the Daily Mail.
In one post, Belotserkovskaya accused Putin of waging "an aggressive WAR against a sovereign state," according to the Daily Mail.
The word "war" is banned in Russia and the Kremlin requires that the invasion of Ukraine be described as a "special military operation" but this has not stopped Belotserkovskaya from posting a series of fiery anti-war statements on social media.
The Russian Investigative Committee now states that she has conducted "public dissemination based on political hatred or enmity under the guise of reliable reports of knowingly false information about the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."
The committee also said she posted "deliberately false information about the use of the [army] to destroy cities and the civilian population of Ukraine, including children, in the course of the special military operation."
As a result, Belotserkovskaya, along with two unnamed people from Siberia, are under investigation. She could face up to 15 years in jail.
"I do not consider the Ukrainian People my enemy. I consider them brothers and sisters," she wrote. "I am absolutely horrified by how many mothers from both sides will not wait for their boys to come home. Boys aged 18-to-20 led into the mincemeat of [his] imperial ambitions."
In another post cited by the Daily Mail, Belotserkovskaya wrote: "I am totally shocked by the economic consequences that we will all have to deal with for many, many years to come. I’m afraid for my children. I want them to live in a world without this monstrous hatred, which every day this, unnecessary f***ing war breeds. Which no one wanted!"
Instagram has been blocked in Russia, and it is believed that Belotserkovskaya, who owns a villa in France, had written her posts outside of the country. Should she return, she could be arrested, according to the Daily Mail.
Russia may seek to put her on international wanted lists, Bloomberg further reported.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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