63-year-old Russian film critic put under house arrest in Moscow for ‘fake news’ about war in Ukraine

Independent Russian film critic Ekaterina Barabash was placed under house arrest by a Moscow court for posting “fake news” on her Facebook account about the war in Ukraine, her son Yurii Barabash reported on Facebook on Feb. 26.

Detained by the Russian Investigative Committee on Feb. 25, Barabash will remain under house arrest until April 25.

The Russian Investigative Committee, which is supposed to probe serious federal crimes, claimed in a Telegram post on Feb. 26 that Barabash “admitted her guilt in full” during an interrogation.

Crackdowns on freedom of expression in Russia have only intensified since the start of Moscow’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

“We do not know who reported her. Given that she is a public figure, it’s possible that her social media could have been under digital surveillance by the Russian security services,” Yurii, who was born in Russia but has lived and worked in Ukraine for more than 15 years, told the Kyiv Independent.

“She understood the risks involved (in speaking out). For her, it was impossible to remain silent while witnessing what the country she had lived in all her life was doing to the country where she was born — a country she loves and considers her true homeland.”

Born in Kharkiv, Barabash is the daughter of a famous Ukrainian literary scholar. For speaking out in support of Ukraine fighting against a war of total annihilation, the 63-year-old could face a financial fine of up to five million rubles ($57,500) or up to 10 years in prison.

Calling evil what it is

Accusing Russian citizens under Article 207.3, Part 2 of the criminal code of spreading “knowingly false” information about the military is a common method used by the Russian regime to silence dissent.

In 2024 alone, at least 620 people faced politically motivated charges in Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories, with a 25% surge in imprisonments compared to 2023, according to the independent human rights group OVD-Info.

The court documents in Barabash’s case cite four specific Facebook posts that were scrutinized by the authorities, but only one of them remains accessible online.

“Lord, save me, make it so that I don’t choke with hatred for these hypocrites, liars, and murders. I won’t be able to take it anymore soon — my heart is breaking into pieces,” the post from early spring 2022 reads.

“(You) bastards bomb a country, raze entire cities to the ground, kill hundreds of children, shoot at peaceful people for no reason, keep Mariupol under a blockade, deprive millions of people of a normal life, and force them to leave for foreign countries.  For what? For the sake of friendship with Ukraine? You are Evil on a planetary scale.”

Russian authorities arrested Barabash following a search of her home, according to her son. Prior to her arrest, she had returned to Moscow from attending the Berlinale Film Festival as an accredited journalist.

Barabash being put under house arrest following her detention is “the best scenario we could have hoped for (given the alternatives),” Yurii said. However, he remains unable to communicate directly with his mother, as she is prohibited from using any electronic devices.

“All the information I receive comes through her friends, who are allowed to visit her,” he said.

In a video released by Russian independent media outlet Sota Vision, Barabash can be seen in more or less good spirits following the court hearing. With a hint of irony, she inquires, “Will it be a pretty bracelet?” in reference to the surveillance tag authorities are set to impose on her during house arrest.

Strength in Ukrainian heritage

After Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and its illegal annexation of Crimea, Barabash considered leaving the country. But with elderly parents to care for, she made the difficult choice to stay.

“Relocating people of such an advanced age is dangerous — some do not survive the journey. I understand her in this regard,” Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, who is Barabash’s daughter-in-law, told the Kyiv Independent.

“My grandmother, who relocated from Russian occupation (in Luhansk Oblast) at a much younger age, did not endure the move, struggled to adapt, and passed away soon after.”

Barabash’s father, a recipient of Ukraine’s prestigious Shevchenko Prize for his work on Ukrainian literature, passed away in November. Barabash’s mother marked her 96th birthday just two days before her daughter’s arrest.

According to Yurii, Barabash’s father “raised his daughter to think freely and critically,” and the Barabash family “has always been proud of our Ukrainian heritage."

Yurii was raised in a home where Ukrainian was spoken freely, instilling in him a deep understanding of his heritage — one untouched by Russian imperialist narratives.

Her deep connection to her Ukrainian heritage gave her the resolve to speak out against Russian aggression and those who support it, according to her family.

Her most recent article, published on Feb. 25 in Republic — a media outlet designated a “foreign agent” by the Kremlin in 2022 — criticized Russian theater director Konstantin Bogomolov, who had expressed interest in staging a play glorifying Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “successes.”

Bogomolov is also the husband of Ksenia Sobchak, a socialite who once cast herself as an opposition figure but has long been seen as a Kremlin insider.

In the article, Barabash delivered a scathing takedown of Bogomolov and all those who promote Russian state propaganda, suggesting the play be titled “Kyiv in Three Days” — a nod to the Kremlin’s boasts back in 2022 of what they thought would be a swift victory in Ukraine.

“After all, that’s the greatest victory of your new object of admiration,” Barabash wrote.

Note from the author:

As U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in increasingly favorable terms about Russia, it's important not to forget that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a dictator who has held onto power through brutal crackdowns on dissent. We have to admire those in Russia who are brave enough to stand up to the Kremlin despite knowing the terrible risk, especially those who are openly pro-Ukrainian in the midst of their country's genocidal war. If you like reading about this sort of thing, please consider supporting The Kyiv Independent.

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The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan