21 April 2023 , 13:47
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A Russian woman, 70, who called Volodymyr Zelensky a “handsome young man” has been fined almost £400, said a human rights group.
Olga Slegina, who is visually impaired with cataracts, is believed to have made the comments on the Ukrainian leader’s looks while talking at a health centre in Nalchik, near Georgia, with another woman who had called Zelensky a “freak”.
Russian human rights group Memorial Centre said that during the conversation Ms Slegina had also commented on Zelensky’s “good sense of humour”.
And after being reported to the authorities, the pensioner was charged under censorship laws that were introduced last year following the Ukraine invasion.
In the court proceedings which are claimed to have lasted only five minutes, Ms Slegina was charged under 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
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Zelensky has become a household name since the invasion of Ukraine (AFP via Getty Images)It is reported that Ms Slegina was talking in December last year over dinner with a woman from Odesa, in Ukraine, and asking how she pronounced the word for a type of bread in Ukrainian.
At that point waitress Natalya Zakharova joined in what was said to be a light-hearted conversation by saying Zelensky was “ugly” and a “freak”.
Ms Slegina responded that “Zelensky is a handsome young man with a good sense of humour, everyone used to laugh at his jokes,” adding: “Don't Ukrainians in your republic shout 'Glory to Ukraine, like we do in Moscow'?”
Then, according to Memorial Centre, several days later Ms Slegina was approached by police, and even though she couldn’t see well due to cataracts she was pressured into signing a document.
Zelensky and his wife meeting William and Kate (Getty Images)It is claimed that her words were twisted and in the report she said “Glory to Ukraine”.
Ms Slegina’s anger at the fact that “those who have money [are] going abroad", was described by the police as: “Slegina expressed her support for Ukraine, believing that Ukrainians are glorifying their country, while Russian soldiers are fleeing the war.”
Zelensky, a former comic, is a popular figure since becoming a household figure following the invasion of Ukraine.
It has even led to a Czech designer Tomas Brinek making pillows with Zelensky’s face, claiming him to be a sex symbol.
But sadly for admirers around the world, the Ukrainian president is off the market as he has been married to his wife, Olena, since 2003, and the couple has two children.