A man who wrote “No war” with his finger on a snow-covered turnstile near the entrance to an ice rink in Gorky Park in Moscow has been sentenced to 10 days in prison, Reuters reports.

According to court documents, the incident happened on November 23, and the man, Dmytro Fedorov, was sentenced the next day after he was detained by police.

Police ruled that his actions could constitute a civil offense under the law against anyone who publicly acted to discredit Russia’s armed forces, an offense punishable in his case by a fine.

Russia introduced new laws against dissent shortly after President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in February 2022 as part of what he called a “special military operation.”

It has become risky for those who oppose Russia’s war in Ukraine to speak out publicly, and critics say nearly 20,000 people have been detained and more than 800 criminal cases have been opened.

According to court documents, Fedorov, who admitted in court to writing an anti-war slogan, was sentenced to ten days in jail for disobeying police and allegedly refusing to go to a police station, which he denied.

He was also fined an undisclosed amount, according to Russian media reports — presumably for writing “No War,” although that was not mentioned in court documents posted online.

Officials say maximum unity is needed at a time when Russia is locked in what Putin describes as an existential battle with the West.

Critics accuse the authorities of imprisoning and brutally punishing anyone who does not object.

This month, a court in St. Petersburg sentenced to seven years in prison an artist who replaced price tags in a supermarket with messages calling for an end to the war in Ukraine.