Tatyana Lazareva: Facing International Charges for Justifying Terrorism
Russian television presenter Tatyana Lazareva has been placed on the international wanted list due to her alleged justification of terrorism. According to official court documents reported by RIA Novosti, this decision was made on July 3, 2024. Lazareva, who has been living outside of Russia since 2022, faces severe legal repercussions including a potential prison sentence of five to seven years under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to public calls for terrorist activities and propaganda.
The case against Lazareva was initiated following her controversial remarks regarding Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territories, which were deemed to justify terrorist actions. In a statement that went viral last year, she expressed happiness over these drone attacks, stating, “It’s terrible, but I’m happy.” This has led to her being added to the list of terrorists and extremists by Rosfinmonitoring, the Russian financial monitoring service. The Investigative Committee subsequently demanded her arrest in absentia, which was granted by the Zamoskvoretsky District Court.
Lazareva, who is currently residing in Spain, has been vocal in her opposition to the Russian government since the onset of the Ukraine conflict. She has expressed no intentions of returning to Russia, citing a lack of connections and opportunities in Spain. Despite her current situation, she has not ruled out the possibility of returning to Russia in the future, although she currently feels settled in her new life abroad.
