The Moscow City Court has sentenced historian Tamara Eidelman in absentia to eight years of imprisonment on charges of rehabilitating Nazism and spreading “fake news” about the Russian army. The news was reported by Mediazona.
The charges were brought under Article 354.1 of the Russian Criminal Code and Paragraph “d” of Part 2 of Article 207.3. According to the outlet, the ruling was issued without Eidelman being present in court.
The rehabilitating Nazism count is linked to the video “Important Conversations: The Day of the Stolen Victory”, which was published on the historian’s YouTube channel in May 2024.
According to prosecutors, in that video Eidelman presented negative information about the actions of the USSR during World War II, Russia’s military glory days and memorial dates tied to defending the Fatherland, as well as about veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
The prosecution further claims that she spoke about collusion between the USSR and Germany and described veterans as people lacking independence, having forgotten past events, and telling untruths.
The “fake news” case against Eidelman, according to media reports, was opened over a post about the Russian missile strike on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv.
Tamara Eidelman is known as a historian and teacher. Before leaving Russia, she taught history and social studies at Moscow School No. 67. Her YouTube channel has 1.8 million subscribers. In September 2022, Russia’s Justice Ministry designated Eidelman a “foreign agent.”