Russian teachers are being punished for making anti-war comments after their own students reported them

A Russian teacher is facing a prison sentence, and several others were fined or fired after their students reported them for making anti-war comments.

The lawyer for the English teacher who spoke to the athletes said that the athletes complained that they couldn't compete in international sporting events. The International Olympic Committee banned Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

Gen told the schoolgirls that until Russia behaves in a civilized way, this will continue. Any dissent is a crime.

She told the students that Russia intended to overthrow the government of another nation and that Ukraine is a state.

The teacher received a call from Russia's federal security service five days later and was told they had received footage of her critical of Moscow.

Gen told The Guardian she had no idea she was being recorded. She said she told authorities she was citing respected western outlets, which she believed were objective.

An excerpt of her conversation with the students was posted to the Russian Telegram channel. The recording was handed to the law by the schoolgirls who disagreed with Gen.

On March 30, a criminal case was opened against Gen under a new Russian law that criminalizes fake news about the invasion of Ukraine.

She could face up to 10 years in prison or fines of up to 5 million rubles if she is found guilty. Her sentence could be increased to 15 years if her actions lead tograve consequences.

Other teachers were fined or fired for speaking out

The students of Marina Dubrova filmed her speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine.

On March 17, Dubrova said she did not support the actions of the Russian army. She was fined and reprimanded by the school, though she wasn't fired.

Dubrova told the Russian alternative news outlet that she was initially struck by the level of hatred among our children and had witnessed students shouting pro-Russian slogans in her school.

A student asked Dubrova about her attitude to the war after she played a video at the end of the lessons about children singing anti-war lyrics in Russian and Ukrainian.

They recorded the conversation on the phone after Dubrova said that he thought the hostilities were a mistake. She thought the student had told their family about the conversation and gave a recording of it to the authorities.

The lecturer at Amur State University was fined 30,000 rubles after being found guilty of defaming the actions of Russia.

SM News reported that Paygina told her students that Russia was acting like Nazi Germany in World War II and that people who put the Russian flag on their cars were criticized.

Elena Baibekova, a math teacher in the city of Astrakhan in southern Russia, was fired after students complained about her political statements.

Baibekova denied engaging in political conversations with her students and said the school sought her removal because of her political views, the outlet reported.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has cracked down on anti-war dissent and disapproval of its armed forces. Russian authorities ordered schools to teach patriotism for children as young as kindergarteners in order to promote anti-Ukraine sentiment.

Russia made new recommendations for schools to organize classes for students in grades 5 to 11 about how the country would be affected by Western sanctions, according to a Russian newspaper.