“Undeniably political”. Celebrated food historian Pavel Syutkin sentenced to 6 years in Moscow over posts against the war in Ukraine

Pavel Syutkin, 61, a prominent author and television personality, was handed the sentence by Moscow’s Zyuzinsky District Court following a closed-door trial, according to a Mediazona correspondent. State prosecutors had requested an eight-year sentence.

Syutkin, who was initially placed in pre-trial detention almost a year ago, was prosecuted over a post made to his Telegram channel on April 19, 2022—two months into the invasion of Ukraine. Addressing reports of atrocities in Ukraine, he wrote: “Kyiv was bombed—Putin’s war had direct analogues with Hitler’s. Now he has his own Babi Yar. Bucha—more than two hundred executed civilians—women, old people, children.”

Known primarily as a respected mainstream cultural figure rather than a political activist, Syutkin has authored numerous books on Russian and Soviet cuisine and represented Russia at the 2015 World Expo in Milan, Italy. Prior to his arrest, he ran a popular Telegram channel dedicated to the history of Russian food alongside his wife, Olga.

Syutkin denied the charges against him but remained unrepentant about his stance. In a statement made to the Investigative Committee earlier in the proceedings, he stated: “One must understand that any honest writer, journalist, or historian in Russia must always be ready for prison. Well, today this role fell to me. But do not despair: there will be a day when this darkness over Russia goes away.”

In letters sent from the detention center, Syutkin described his prosecution as “undeniably political.” He noted that he was being punished for his open anti-war position, which he refuses to hide, adding that his time in prison has only deepened his conviction that “many Russians” share his views.

Following the trial, his wife Olga told reporters that the couple had never considered fleeing the country to avoid his arrest. “No, we will not leave,” she said. “Since it turned out that we got into all this, we can no longer betray ourselves or our readers.”

According to his wife, the historian is currently using his time to write a new book and teach English to his cellmates.