Ruslan Kotsaba

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Petrovych and the family name is Kotsaba.

Ruslan Petrovych Kotsaba
Ruslan Kotsaba during the protests outside Ukraine Prosecutor General's Office (12 December 2013)
Born(1966-08-18)18 August 1966
Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Occupationblogger

Ruslan Petrovych Kotsaba (Ukrainian: Руслан Петрович Коцаба; born 18 August 1966) is a Ukrainian journalist, activist, blogger[1][2][3] and conscientious objector[4] who has been described as a pro-Russian blogger by USA Today[5] and as a prisoner of conscience by human rights organisations.[3][6][7][8]

Kotsaba is known for his call in January 2015 to boycott the fourth wave of mobilization in Ukraine during the war in Donbas. In May 2016 he was found guilty of obstructing the activities of the armed forces and was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months imprisonment. He was acquitted by the Court of Appeal and released in July 2016 after having spent 524 days in prison. The acquittal was annulled in June 2017 and the trial was still ongoing in 2022.

As of 2022, Kotsaba is a controversial figure in his country and abroad, and has been a victim of threats[9] and politically motivated violence.[10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Meduza was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Whose conscience was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Ukraine (Report). United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  4. ^ Daza Sierra, Felip (2022). Ukrainian Nonviolent Civil Resistance in the face of war: Analysis of trends, impacts and challenges of nonviolent action in Ukraine between February and June 2022 (PDF). ICIP & Novact.
  5. ^ Rudenko, Olga (2 May 2015). "Thousands dodge Ukraine army in fight with rebels". USA Today. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference radiosvoboda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Amnesty was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference threats was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Platform_Attack was invoked but never defined (see the help page).