Culinary Historian Pavel Syutkin Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison Over Bucha Posts

Sep. 15, 2026 Pavel Syutkin. Vasily Kuzmichenok / Moskva News Agency A Moscow judge on Tuesday sentenced culinary historian and former Moscow Times columnist Pavel Syutkin to six years in prison on charges of spreading “fake news” about the Russian military. State prosecutors sought an eight-year prison sentence for Syutkin over Telegram posts about alleged atrocities committed against civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha during the opening weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia denies committing war crimes in Bucha. A judge at Moscow’s Zyuzinsky District Court found Syutkin guilty of spreading “false information” about the Russian Armed Forces, the court’s press service said in a statement on Telegram. In addition to the six-year prison term, the court banned Syutkin from managing websites for four years. Syutkin’s attorney Yevgeniya Grigoryeva told the state-run news agency TASS that the defense plans to appeal the ruling, which she said will likely be heard in the Moscow City Court. The trial was held behind closed doors. Ahead of the verdict, Syutkin told reporters the secrecy was maintained due to an FSB witness in the case. “But that’s just the formal pretext. I think the real reason is that the court itself feels some discomfort about handing down a sentence in this kind of political case,” Syutkin told reporters in a video shared by the Mediazona outlet. “This verdict is honestly a certain mark of quality for the work I’ve been doing, an effort… aimed at reviving civil society in our country,” Syutkin said in another video, followed by applause from those who went to hear the verdict in court. Syutkin was arrested last October and added to the Russian financial monitoring agency Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “terrorists and extremists,” a move that froze his bank accounts. He has published several books on the history of Russian and Soviet cuisine and hosted programs on national television and radio devoted to the history of food. In 2015, Syutkin represented Russia as an official ambassador at the World Expo in Milan. Syutkin and his wife wrote a weekly cooking column for The Moscow Times until Russian authorities banned the news outlet as “undesirable” in July 2024. Read more about: Court cases Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Exiled Politician Leonid Gozman Jailed 10 Years in Absentia for ‘Justifying Terrorism’ State investigators said the charges stemmed from an interview that Gozman gave to a “foreign media outlet” in 2023. 1 Min read Moscow Court Finds Man Accused of Organizing LGBTQ+ Tours Guilty 1 Year After Suicide in Police Custody State investigators had said that Andrei Kotov, who ran the Men Travel agency, died by suicide in late December 2024. 2 Min read St. Petersburg Street Musicians Detained for Third Time Alexander Orlov and Diana Loginova had just finished back-to-back 13-day administrative arrests for organizing an unsanctioned gathering. 1 Min read Moscow Court Jails Estonian Museum Director in Absentia Over Anti-Putin Banner Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova first drew attention in 2023 for hanging a banner on the walls of Narva Castle, which overlooks the Russian border town of... 1 Min read