Maria Mekhedova, a pediatrician from Blagoveshchensk, is facing up to seven years in prison for an Instagram comment made under a post about the death of blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. The charges against her are based on "justification of terrorism."

In June, authorities opened a criminal case against Maria Mekhedova, accusing her of justifying terrorism due to comments she made on Instagram. The post in question was about the death of Z-blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. In her comment, Maria expressed sadness over the fact that for the first time, she couldn't feel sorry for someone's death. She did not elaborate on the circumstances of Tatarsky's death.

As a result of the criminal case, Mekhedova could face up to seven years of imprisonment. For the past two months, she has been under house arrest. She cannot leave her home and will not be able to take her first-grade son to school on September 1st. She also cannot work - despite requests from parents of her young patients. 

“Expect visitors. They will come to you to investigate.”

From the very start of the war, Maria did not hide her views and soon faced hounding on social media. Under her anti-war posts on Instagram - where she originally promoted evidence-based medicine - people regularly commented that she "should be reported." Maria suspects that it was precisely after such reports that the FSB (Federal Security Service of Russia) started monitoring her social media accounts.

In November 2022, authorities came to Maria’s place with search warrants, threatening with charges of discrediting the army. In December, she was fined 30,000 rubles for this charge. In the spring of 2023, they came with another search, and by the summer, a criminal case was opened.

"I have been opposed to [the military invasion of Ukraine] from the very beginning," Maria says. "I actively wrote about it on my Instagram, and I frequently received responses from those who support the 'special military operation.' As it usually goes, 'Where have you been for 8 years?' Then, they showed me discussions in closed 'parent chats' on various messengers—WhatsApp, for example. The tone there was extremely hostile: 'Our guys are dying, and she is openly speaking against the war! How is she not afraid? This urgently needs to be corrected—report it to the FSB.' Threats even extended to physical violence, suggesting that people come in for an appointment with me and beat me up. Such were the proposals made. Personally, no one has ever said anything to my face. Naturally, the FSB became interested in me." 

"Didn’t you take these threats seriously?"

"Of course, it's unpleasant. I still believe that the best defense is public exposure. That's why I displayed these chat screenshots on my Instagram. I realized that things were serious in mid-November when a female acquaintance of mine, who had worked in the FSB long ago, told me that I should expect visitors, that officers would come to me to ‘investigate’," Maria says.

Her husband Kirill adds that three people came to her home that same evening - a field officer, an employee of 'E' Department, and another FSB officer. "The first time they came, it wasn't for a search - it was due to an administrative case on discrediting the military. Because she had posted stories against the war in Ukraine on Instagram, commented in public forums on this topic, and stated that she supported Ukraine," Kirill says. "For example, the following comment she wrote under a post by Zelensky was cited in the case: 'Way to go Ukrainian Armed Forces. They are defending their territories, everything seized should rightfully be returned to them. They are defending their homeland.'"

"That was when Kherson previously occupied by our soldiers was regained back by Ukraine”, Maria says. "I wrote that this was way to go, that they reclaimed their territories, protected their citizens. It's due to this comment that they accused me of discrediting the Russian army.

"As for the comments in the stories, they apparently just didn't manage to screenshot them in time. I had written about the Ukrainian people, that ordinary people were suffering, and that persecuting an entire nation, Ukrainians, is genocide. I wrote that I wouldn't participate in any collections, help gather [for the war]. That I don't support it."

"So they found a comment under someone else's post? Meaning they were specifically monitoring?"

"Yes, they were monitoring. I think they filed reports on each of her comments and posts. They chose the most 'appropriate' ones," Kirill replies. "When the FSB first came in the fall, we thought they had decided to 'let it slide.' We had a seemingly normal conversation; they said, 'Given the situation, it's better not to write anything,' suggesting we discuss these matters privately at home. 'Fine.' And my wife stopped publicly commenting on this topic because she was scared - for herself, for her family."

"But you were still convicted under the administrative article on discrediting the Russian army?"

"Yes, they fined me 30,000 rubles," Maria says. "We appealed to the regional court, where the judge upheld the sentence. I attended the open court hearing with my son because he was sick and I couldn't leave him with anyone. Judge Kruk kicked my sick, underage child out of the courtroom. He said that the hearing wouldn't start until the child left the courtroom. My lawyer said, 'You're disrupting the legal process; the hearing is public. On what grounds are you turning out my client's child?' We tried to challenge the judge, but he dismissed the challenge himself. He quickly read through the case records and then announced the verdict: guilty, and that's it, 30,000 rubles. I wrote to OVD-Info, asking if they could help pay the fine. They referred me to FBK [Anti-Corruption Foundation], and ex-Navalny supporters paid the fine for me."

The FSB came to Maria for the second time in the spring in connection with her Telegram account.

"In March, they came early in the morning with a ready-made court search order. They took our phones," Maria's husband says. "This was in connection with an anonymous channel on Telegram, where we expressed ourselves in such a sarcastic manner that it was hardly discreditable. Moreover, we had already deleted the channel."

"Among those posts," Maria adds, "was one about a photo session of the wives of Wagner [a private military company] members, where thee dressed up in military uniforms.

"They even took pictures with their children. My husband wrote that this was dancing on graves; their children wouldn’t be proud of them. They call them heroes, but in reality, they're just ordinary killers. Wagner PMC is even recognized as a terrorist organization," Maria says. "At first, we asked for a lawyer to come to us and inquired about the grounds for conducting the search. They said, 'What's the point in waiting for a lawyer? We already have a court order.' In the end, we handed over our phones, and they even forced us to open all the apps.”

"They completed the search and wrote down something on a piece of paper that they didn't let me read. We signed it without reading. They threatened to 'take us to the station': 'Sign it now, or we'll go to the station, and you'll sign it there.' They took the phones, left a paper from the judge, and left. We didn't hear from them for a month," Kirill recalls.

"So you didn't even understand what you signed for?"

"I asked, 'Let me read it.' 'No, it's none of your business, we have no claims against you.' 'Then why are you taking my phone if you have no claims against me?'"

Maria says that she felt "as if in a fog" all this time.

"When they all burst into [the apartment], the situation was utterly surreal for me. I said, 'If you subject normal people to such repression, you are as much killers as those who are killing in Ukraine.' The FSB agent said, 'One more word, and I'll bring another case against you.' 'What will you charge me for? Don't we have freedom of speech in this country? Can't I express my opinion that I am against the war?' He just sat there, silent.

"On the one hand, you live your entire life as a law-abiding citizen, no violations, you follow all the laws. On the other, your apartment is suddenly turned upside down by strangers in boots, they question you about your correspondence and treat you like a criminal, teeth clenched," she recalls.

At some point, Kirill remembers, they began to have "educational conversations" with his wife.

"The head of these FSB agents mockingly asked, 'Didn't I tell you [to discuss these topics at home], can't you control yourself? You're a doctor, but you harbor so much hatred for the guys who are fighting there. How will you treat their children, the same way?' My wife said, 'Children have nothing to do with this. I have many patients whose fathers are at war. A job is a job.'"

 "Then I openly tell him that I have a specific attitude towards those who go there, especially on a contract," Maria says. "I don't see any heroism and don't understand why they are called heroes for going to another country to kill people.

“In response, he produces a 'song from the TV’- about 8 years of bombarding Donbass. I ask, 'Do you know the background of everything that's happening there, what was in Donbass and Luhansk, how it all started? Do you know about the Russian mercenaries who fueled conflicts between Ukrainians and Russians there, and in 2014 even entered the region with tanks?' He falls silent. Then he says, 'You don't even know what's going on there, we know, and you don't,' and then he starts about the 'Alley of Angels': 'Have you seen the Alley of Angels there?' I tell him, 'So we should bomb all of Ukraine, destroy it, subject it to genocide?' He lowers his eyes and remains silent, shifting uncomfortably, unable to respond."

Ultimately, the anonymous page that prompted the FSB to conduct the search wasn’t even part of Mekhedova's case.

"They initiated a criminal case against her exclusively for that comment about Tatarsky," Kirill says. "Now they are monitoring everyone who was charged with 'discrediting the army' under Article 20.3.3 - they keep tabs on everyone. An informed acquaintance of mine has told me that 483 people in Blagoveshchensk are being monitored closely, that those who were previously convicted under administrative law are being watched constantly. They closely monitor social media, plant provocateurs to elicit comments. They are regularly working on those who have already been implicated."

"Did Maria justify the act of explosion in that post?"

"No, she simply wrote that she couldn't feel sorry [for him]. By that time, his biography had been well 'cleaned,' but many people remembered him from a video at a gathering when 'DNR' and 'LNR' were recognized as part of Russia, where he said, 'We will kill everyone, we will rob everyone' ('We will defeat everyone, we will kill everyone, we will rob whoever needs to be robbed, everything will be as we like.' He said these words while filming himself on a phone during an event in the Kremlin dedicated to the annexation of new territories on September 30). His Telegram is hellish, he said that Ukraine is a failed nation that 'shouldn't even exist,' suggesting that there will be a 'Novorossiya' [New Russia]. This is outright Nazism, I would even say, fascism. But for some reason, no case was opened against him. However, they went after my wife who simply wrote that she couldn't regret his death," Kirill says. 

Tatarsky was bombed on April 2, and they came for Mekhedova on May 28. A month later, she was charged.

"We found out about the case initiated for the comment about Tatarsky on June 27. A local officer called my wife at work. Then FSB agents came to her workplace, waited for parents with their child to leave, and entered. They told her that a case had been opened and placed her under house arrest.

"The pretrial restraint - house arrest - was justified on the grounds that we might allegedly flee from the investigation. We voiced our arguments: if we had traveled to Europe for two weeks after the first search and returned, knowing that you wanted to pin something on us, then there are no arguments in favor of the idea that we will run away. Your words are not corroborated by our actions; they are entirely contrary to them. But the judge did what the prosecutor and the investigator requested, even using the same phrases. There was no consideration of the merits of our arguments."

"I don't know how to do anything else in my life except to heal."

Maria has been forbidden to work for two months now.

"There's another point— I have palliative care patients under my care, and they require regular check-ups. Parents of several patients have written that other doctors in our city don't want to see them because they are palliative cases, but Mekhedova took them on. I've outlined their feeding schedule, what type of tube is needed, what exercises they should do, how to prevent pneumonia, but these need to be adjusted at least once a month. And now, I can neither see them at my home (as it's not a licensed facility, it is not being sanitized) or even consult them over the phone. So the parents are left without any medical help. They're asking for me to be allowed to return to work; for some, the condition has worsened even after I was placed under house arrest. They asked for at least a few hours on certain days, but the prosecutor’s office refused their requests," Maria says.

Her words are confirmed by Varvara, the mother of little Margarita, whose diagnosis she asks not to disclose.

"Just write that my daughter is in critical condition, and practically everyone is turning us away. The state hospital doctor assigned to us is doing nothing, saying it's just palliative care. But Maria took us on, prescribed the necessary tests, and recommended good specialists we needed. She wasn't afraid to take on a very difficult case, while many medical professionals either hint or directly say that I should give up on my daughter. Maria never even mentioned such a thing; she conducted the necessary examinations and helped us. Now there's no one to help," Varvara says.

Maria moved to the Amur River region from Sakhalin. She graduated from a medical institute in Blagoveshchensk. After completing her pediatric residency, she worked in a city hospital and then switched to private practice.

"I got the license (or rather, three licenses), set up an office, and hired another pediatrician for my practice. We pay taxes, contribute to pensions. I work for myself. Worked, rather," Maria sighs. "When I first opened my office, I also started an Instagram account. Being a pediatrician is a very rewarding job; after all, children are very resilient and, in fact, hardy. And it's a great joy to work with them.

“Everything that is happening to me right now is heart-wrenchingly difficult because I love my job, I want to work, and I know how to do it. That's also why I'm cautious about emigrating, because it's important for me to remain a pediatrician, to work in my field. At first, in college, I chose the wrong faculty—obstetrics, and I used to run away from the maternity ward, spending hours with babies. Then I came to my senses, transferred, and graduated from the pediatric. I can't imagine myself without my job. I don't know how to do anything else in my life except to heal people.

"And why is this happening? I didn't kill anyone, I'm a law-abiding citizen who pays taxes; why should I suffer? And I feel guilty for these children. Among them is a palliative care girl who will simply die soon without help," Maria says.

"My husband cried. I read about life in a women's prison."

Currently, all family responsibilities have fallen on the shoulders of Maria's husband Kirill. Kirill works as a communications system installer. Now, he has to support the family and solve a multitude of domestic issues alone.

"Our parents can't even take our son to school. All of them are working, despite their illnesses (my mother-in-law has cancer, and my mom has joint problems). You can't live on a pension alone. In fact, I can't even take my son to school on September 1st! Then he'll need to be taken there constantly, and my husband is often away on business trips. The prosecutor's office doesn't even respond to our inquiries about these obvious facts—it's just some sort of mockery," Maria says.

Kirill adds: "I told all of this to the investigator: please understand the situation, my wife still has parental rights, she's responsible for him, isn't she? The investigator said, 'I tried to allow her to work.' As if he tried, but his superiors forbade him. Officially, they didn't respond, just ignored it. When I'm away on business trips, I constantly worry about my child. Has he gotten lost, or has some pedophile taken him away from the playground? Is the investigator going to take him to school or will it be some prison guard?"

"Do relatives support you now?"

"As for the arrest and possible imprisonment, they are, of course, concerned. But they have different political views from us. Sometimes they even slightly scold us: 'Couldn't you just keep quiet, why all this? Everyone else kept quiet, you should have too,'" Kirill quotes his parents.

Maria says that she's "fighting for her mother."

"I say, 'Mom, you watch TV. Let's try to let some different information into our heads.' I showed her Maxim Katz, Michael Nacke, showed her what was happening in Ukraine, played videos of what had really happened since 2014, explained the essence of Maidan. I saw her sitting there, propping her head up with her hand, her mouth open, saying, 'Oh my God, I can't believe we're being deceived like this.' Then I switched back to the TV where they showed the news: how great we are, everything's superb on the frontline, we've beaten everyone, taken all the lands; Ukrainians, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (they call them either nationalists or Nazis), are in big trouble. Then I switched back to independent correspondents, and she cried, 'Oh God!' She grabbed her head: 'How is this possible?'

"When we came back from Europe, I told her that there's no such thing as Russophobia there, everyone supports Ukraine but they don't hate Russians. And everything is good there, although the TV shows how poorly Europe is doing, how everyone is dying from hunger, freezing to death. Everything is fine in Europe, everything shown on TV is a lie. It's also a lie that Russians are winning over everyone, and Ukrainians are happy that Russians have come to liberate them. I say, look at what Ukrainians in Ukraine are saying, what Russians living in Ukraine are saying about this war. She says, 'Oh God, I can't believe we're being lied to from all sides.' So, she started having doubts. Then about repressive laws - she didn't believe it could ben true either: 'Yeah, it's all nonsense, this can't be happening, we live in the 21st century.' Then, suddenly, a criminal case was opened against me, and she was totally baffled: 'How is this possible? It can't be!'

But still, sometimes she has bursts of 'victory euphoria.' She came by today and said, 'Mariupol is Russia, this has been recognized.'  'Who would have recognized this? Mariupol has always been and still is a Ukrainian city, they will take it back, and it will be Ukraine again, as will Crimea, and everything else.' Basically, it goes on like that - until the next time she watches TV.

I understand why this is happening in our country, Putin is afraid, he wants to remove everyone who is unwanted, silence the dissenters.

I realize all this, but I can't stay silent, it tears me apart from the inside, I must speak out. I have always wanted to tell everyone, especially when the war and the mobilization started, 'People, what are you doing?'”

"Do friends and colleagues support you, or the opposite?"

"I've cut ties with many friends who display steadfast loyalty to the regime, surrounded myself with reasonable people, because hearing the words 'it's a failed nation' is horrifying for me. While earlier, before the repressions, I tried to convince people, provide arguments, now I realize that it's useless. Those who justify the war will continue justifying it, and as for those against the war, their opinion probably won't change either.

“At the same time, 50% of my circle are people with the same views as mine. Probably only 15% actively support the war, the rest say: 'I can't change this; therefore, I don't want to think about it either, because I can't influence it. If our president thinks that the war is necessary, let him figure it out himself.'

"And there was a lot of support from colleagues, very well-known in our field, true luminaries. They wrote asking if help was needed, if there was a need to 'create a buzz,' that 'many colleagues will support you.' I then decided not to do it, because many people are afraid, and not without reason. Why risk other people's lives?”

“How is your son reacting to this situation?”

“Initially, when FSB agents came to our place, he was shocked, he didn't understand what was happening. He said, 'Mom, who are these people?' I hugged him, feeling how rapidly his heart was beating. The child was stressed.

“The second time he was stressed was when he said: 'Mom, will you be put in prison? Is Putin bad?' I said, 'Yes, Sergey, Putin is bad.' 'But they told us in kindergarten that Putin is good.' Then he began to ask me questions: are you for Ukraine or for Russia? So, even my son is having such conversations. And he's afraid that his mother will be put in prison.”

“Are you scared right now?”

“Of course. I'm very scared. Sometimes I'm so overwhelmed that I don't know what to do with myself. This is despite being on antidepressants since the start of the war. I admit that I may be put in prison, my career will be ruined, my family will be destroyed, and my son will be left without a mother. I've even watched videos about how women live in prisons, what goes on in women's prisons.

“Honestly, this prospect terrifies me; I can't imagine what will happen if they put me in prison and most importantly, who I'll become after. I don't know how my husband and son will endure all of this. When we were faced with the fact that a criminal case had been opened against me, threatening me with up to seven years in prison, my husband cried. I've never seen a man cry; he just lay there for two days. It's really scary when a person who is responsible for the whole family just lies down and cries. If they put me in prison, I don't know how they'll get through it."