In which cases Russia's judiciary takes action and in which it remains inactive clearly shows the character of this state.
Opposition politician Ilya Yashin has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for speaking about the war crimes committed by Russian troops in Bucha in a live stream on YouTube.
He got off lightly compared to journalist Ivan Safronov, who was finally sentenced to 22 years in prison in the middle of this week.
His alleged treason consists in writing articles critical of Russia's defense policy based on publicly available sources.
In cases similar to Safronov's, scientists have been sentenced to prison for lecturing abroad.
What the judiciary does not take notice of, however, is a filmed murder with a sledgehammer.
The victim was considered a traitor to the Wagner mercenary group, whose boss Yevgeny Prigozhin applauded the video that was shared on social media.
The law has long since ceased to count in Vladimir Putin's Russia.
But the longer the war against Ukraine lasts, the more violent his regime becomes – both internally and externally.
It is also developments like this that make it clear that peace is not possible with Russia under this leadership.