Russian comedian jailed nearly six years over war veteran joke

Comedian's Controversial Joke and Legal Consequences

By Andrew Osborn

Background of the Case

MOSCOW, Feb 4 (Reuters) - A Russian stand-up comedian was convicted of inciting hatred and jailed for nearly six years on Wednesday over a joke he made about a legless war veteran, which triggered outrage among nationalists and military bloggers.

Public Reaction and Backlash

A Reuters reporter in court said that the comedian, Artemy Ostanin, had been handed a sentence of five years and nine months and a fine of 300,000 roubles ($3,908).

Legal Framework in Russia

It was the latest in a series of rulings which have harshly punished people judged by the authorities to have spoken rudely or falsely about the Russian army at a time when it is fighting in Ukraine.

Ostanin was also convicted of offending the feelings of Christians with another off-colour joke he made about Jesus, which angered Orthodox nationalists.

His arrest and treatment were punishment enough for any offence he had caused, Ostanin said during his trial.     

Russia passed sweeping censorship laws in 2022 shortly after it went to war in Ukraine. Pro-Kremlin figures and organisations have since publicly denounced people they deem to have broken those laws, and have reported them to the authorities.

Ostanin's problems began after he performed in front of a small audience in March last year and joked about how an impoverished war veteran who had lost his legs after being blown up by a mine, and was now forced to get around on a skateboard, had run over his foot while navigating a Moscow underpass.

Ostanin also referred to a wheelchair as a "stump carrier." 

STRAIGHT-FACED ON PUNCHLINE

Ostanin was not a household name at the time and a video of the moment he told the joke's punchline showed a panel of four fellow comedians remaining straight-faced as the sound of several audience members laughing rang out.

But video of the joke was seized upon by war bloggers and nationalists on the Telegram social media app, causing it to go viral with critics accusing Ostanin of crossing a line by crassly mocking veterans who were risking their lives on the battlefield.

Sorok Sorokov, a powerful Orthodox nationalist group, said many Russians had not understood that times had changed and that the state should tighten its control over such performances to stem what it called a general decline in moral values.

"In recent years, comedians have often crossed red lines and made jokes about topics that are taboo in any normal society," said Georgy Soldatov, director of the group's human rights centre.

Frightened by the backlash against his performance, Ostanin tried to flee Russia in March last year but was arrested by police in neighbouring Belarus, a close ally of Russia, and returned to Moscow to face charges.

Asked by the judge on Wednesday whether he understood his sentence, Ostanin said: "To hell with your judicial practice. No, I don't."     

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Reuters TV; editing by Mark Heinrich)