Russia: Forbes journalist Mingazov 'put under house arrest'

A journalist for the Russian edition of the US business magazine Forbes has been placed under house arrest after being accused of disseminating "false information" about the armed forces, the Russian state-run RIA news agency said on Saturday.

Sergei Mingazov has been held in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk since Friday, his magazine said.

He was reportedly ordered into house arrest following a hearing at a court in the city on Saturday.

Mingazov is the latest prominent figure to fall foul of laws introduced by the Kremlin after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that criminalize any statements seen as discrediting Russia's military.

What has Mingazov been charged with?

Mingazov's lawyer, Konstantin Bubon, said Friday on Facebook that his client had been arrested over social media posts he made about the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

Bucha was the scene of alleged atrocities committed by Russian forces early on in the invasion before they were driven out of the region by Ukrainian forces in April 2022.

More than 400 bodies of civilians, many bearing signs of torture, were found in the city, located near the capital, Kyiv.

The charges leveled at Mingazov carry a prison term of up to 10 years.

A number of journalists, opposition figures and regular citizens have been detained for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian military, and many of them have received lengthy prison sentences.

Prominent activist Vladimir Kara-Murza has received the harshest penalty to date, being sentenced to 25 years in prison.

tj/sms (Reuters, AP)