Russian authorities jail comedian Artemy Ostani for making wartime joke

Russian Comedian Sentenced to Over Five Years in Prison for Joke About War Veteran

A Moscow court has handed down a sentence of over five years in prison to Artemy Ostanin, a 29-year-old stand-up comedian. Ostanin was convicted of inciting hatred after making a joke about a disabled war veteran during a 2025 comedy routine.

The case centers on footage of the performance, which went viral and sparked outrage among Russian nationalists who claimed Ostanin had disrespected soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Ostanin denied that his joke referred to Russians in combat in Ukraine.

In addition to the prison sentence, Ostanin was also found guilty of offending Christians over a separate joke about Jesus. The judge’s final statement read: “The final sentence for Ostanin is imprisonment for five years and nine months in a general regime penal colony.”

Ostanin expressed his dissatisfaction with the proceedings, stating that he hoped no one would face similar treatment. When asked if he understood the sentence, he replied that he did not.

As part of his sentence, Ostanin was also fined 300,000 rubles ($3,900) and placed on a government list of designated “terrorists and extremists.” Russian rights group Memorial criticized Ostanin’s prosecution, stating that it demonstrated how vague extremism and blasphemy laws are used to silence speech and intimidate artists.

Ostanin was arrested last March while attempting to flee to Belarus.

Source: Al Jazeera