Ukraine war: The Russian student under arrest for an Instagram story

University pupil Olesya Krivtsova has been missing a batch of classes.

That's due to the fact that 20-year-old Olesya is nether location arrest. She has an physics tag connected her leg. Police tin show her each move.

Her alleged crime? Olesya was arrested for anti-war posts connected societal media. One of them acrophobic past October's detonation connected the span linking Russia to annexed Crimea.

"I posted an Instagram communicative astir the bridge," Olesya tells the BBC, "reflecting connected however Ukrainians were blessed with what had happened."

She had besides shared a friend's station astir the war.

"I was talking connected the telephone to my mother," Olesya recalls, "when I heard the beforehand doorway opening. Lots of constabulary came in. They took distant my telephone and shouted astatine maine to prevarication connected the floor."

Olesya was charged with justifying coercion and discrediting the Russian equipped forces. She faces up to 10 years successful prison.

"I ne'er imagined anyone could get specified a agelong situation condemnation for posting thing connected the internet," Olesya says. "I'd seen reports of brainsick verdicts successful Russia, but I hadn't paid overmuch attraction and continued to talk out."

A pupil of the Northern Federal University successful Arkhangelsk, Olesya has present been added to Russia's authoritative database of terrorists and extremists.

"When I realised I'd been enactment connected the aforesaid database arsenic schoolhouse shooters and the Islamic State radical I thought it was crazy," recalls Olesya.

Under the rules of her location apprehension she's banned from talking connected the telephone and going online.

Olesya has a striking representation tattooed connected her close limb - Russian President Vladimir Putin depicted arsenic a spider, with an Orwellian inscription: "Big Brother is watching you."

It appears that successful Olesya's case, it wasn't Big Brother watching her, but her chap students.

"A person showed maine a station astir maine successful a chat," Olesya says, "about however I was against the 'special subject operation'. Most of the radical successful this chat were past students. They were discussing whether to denounce maine to the authorities."

The BBC has seen extracts from the radical chat.

In 1 comment, Olesya is accused of penning "provocative posts of a defeatist and extremist character. This is retired of spot for war-time. It indispensable beryllium nipped successful the bud".

"First let's effort to discredit her. If she doesn't get it, fto the information services woody with it."

"Denunciation is the work of a patriot," idiosyncratic other writes.

Later, erstwhile the database of prosecution witnesses was work retired successful court, Olesya recognised the names from the pupil chat.

It's 1 twelvemonth since the Kremlin launched its "special subject operation" successful Ukraine - the word it uses for Russia's full-scale penetration of its neighbour. Within weeks of the assault, President Putin was calling connected the Russian nationalist to abstracted "true patriots from scum and traitors".

Public disapproval of the penetration - and that includes reposting different people's disapproval - is dangerous. The Russian authorities expect total, unflinching enactment for the violative successful Ukraine. If you don't enactment it, astatine the precise slightest you're expected to enactment silent. If you don't enactment silent, there's a drawstring of repressive laws for punishing dissent. That includes laws against spreading "false information" astir the subject and "discrediting" the army.

In Arkhangelsk, a elephantine representation of a Russian worker killed successful Ukraine stares down connected the metropolis from the broadside of a nine-storey flat block, on with the words: "Being a warrior means surviving forever."

The patriotic messaging is persuasive. On the streets of Arkhangelsk, we find small sympathy for Russians facing prosecution for their anti-war comments.

"People who discredit our service oregon dispersed fakes, they're sick successful the head," Konstantin tells me. "They should beryllium sent to the beforehand enactment arsenic cannon fodder."

"I person a antagonistic cognition to critics of the peculiar operation," Ekaterina tells me.

But a agelong situation condemnation for posting thing online, isn't that harsh? I ask.

"People should usage their brains," Ekaterina replies. "If they unrecorded successful this country, if they bask each the benefits this state has to offer, if they're patriots, they request to abide by the law."

Later that time Olesya is allowed retired of her flat. But lone to be a tribunal hearing. Her defence lawyers are trying to transportation a justice to assistance the restrictions connected her movement.

Olesya's T-shirt sports a representation of a constabulary van with "School Bus" written connected it. A remark connected however young Russians are being punished for their disapproval of the authorities.

The justice rules to support her nether location arrest.

"The authorities doesn't person the tummy for debate, for ideology oregon freedom," Olesya says. "But they can't enactment everyone successful prison. At immoderate constituent they'll tally retired of cells."

Produced by Liza Shuvalova.