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A woman in St. Petersburg, Russia, has been jailed on allegations that she replaced price tags at a local supermarket with messages opposing 

Artist and musician Aleksandra, or Sasha, Skochilenko could potentially face up to 10 years in prison. A district court ruled this week to detain her until the end of May, pending a trial on charges of spreading "knowingly false information" about the Russian armed forces.

, criminalizes messages and information perceived as "discrediting" Russian troops. Russian authorities have similarly banned the use of terms "war" or "invasion" to describe what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

The law has enabled a crackdown on most Russian

, social media discussion of Russian casualties and 

. This has included arrests of people over more 

, such as silent actions featuring a copy of Leo Tolstoy's classic “War and Peace” or a poster saying "*** *****" as a non-verbal nod at the banned "нет войне" or "no to war."

Some activists and artists have turned to stealthier protests. Photos from grocery stores in Kazan, St. Petersburg and other cities showed price tags for glue sticks, coffee and candy bars switched for reports about Ukraine, such as the number of humanitarian convoys unable to reach cities under fire. Several artists have been fined or detained for adding anti-war signs to merchandise in stores.

Skochilenko, known for her anti-war music and hand-drawn cards, had reportedly placed a price tag that said 400 people were sheltering in the basement during the bombing of a Mariupol art school. Ukrainian officials 

said Russian troops shelled the building on March 20

; the Kremlin blamed the incident on Ukraine. Skochilenko's lawyer has said that a shopper reported the protester's tag swap to police. 

Russian prosecutors are accusing Skochilenko of "political hostility." The court, in deciding to detain her for weeks until her trial, ruled that the activist was a flight risk. Amnesty International 

"The purpose of this is to scare and to ensure silence. It's important to create the appearance that everyone supports this and everyone agrees," said Boris Vishnevsky, a St. Petersburg lawmaker with the liberal Yabloko party who's advocating for Skochilenko's release.

"It's a clear signal for people to be afraid and stay silent, to be afraid of contradicting the official account about Ukraine," he said. 

Politics and Government News

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NPR Staff

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Artist Aleksandra Skochilenko reportedly swapped in a tag at a St. Petersburg supermarket with a note about the bombing of a Mariupol art school. Her lawyer said a shopper reported her to the police.

A Russian woman is jailed for replacing store price tags with anti-war messages

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