A Russian military court sentenced an anti-war activist in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk to 15 years in prison on Friday for crimes including setting fire to a military commissariat and desecrating the graves of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.
In a statement, the court identified Angel Nikolayev as "an opponent of mobilisation" and provided a long list of his offences stretching back nearly two years.
On two separate occasions, Nikolayev spray-painted "symbols visually similar to Nazi symbols" on Russian flags draped over the graves of soldiers killed in Ukraine, the court said.
Zona Solidarnosti (Solidarity Zone), a Telegram channel that provides information about Russian anti-war activists, said Nikolayev had painted a crossed-out "Z" - the symbol of Moscow's war in Ukraine - on the flags.
His protest actions continued. Last spring, Nikolayev cut out the "Z" symbol on an advert poster at a local bus stop - an act of vandalism, the court said. He also tore off "Z" symbols pasted onto cars.
Later, last autumn, the court said Nikolayev set fire to a military recruitment centre in Khabarovsk using "two incendiary bottles with a flammable mixture" - a terrorist act. No one was harmed in the incident but the building sustained serious damage, according to the court.
The prosecutor had sought an 18-year sentence for Nikolayev. He pleaded guilty, according to Zona Solidarnosti, but did not express any regret.
Over 20,000 people have been detained in Russia for expressing anti-war views since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to Russian rights group OVD-Info. That figure includes those arrested for non-violent offences, such as posting negative opinions about the Russian army online or giving interviews to journalists about the war.
Reuters
Russian activist sentenced to 15 years for slew of anti-war acts
Image: 123RF/BELCHONOK
A Russian military court sentenced an anti-war activist in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk to 15 years in prison on Friday for crimes including setting fire to a military commissariat and desecrating the graves of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.
In a statement, the court identified Angel Nikolayev as "an opponent of mobilisation" and provided a long list of his offences stretching back nearly two years.
On two separate occasions, Nikolayev spray-painted "symbols visually similar to Nazi symbols" on Russian flags draped over the graves of soldiers killed in Ukraine, the court said.
Zona Solidarnosti (Solidarity Zone), a Telegram channel that provides information about Russian anti-war activists, said Nikolayev had painted a crossed-out "Z" - the symbol of Moscow's war in Ukraine - on the flags.
His protest actions continued. Last spring, Nikolayev cut out the "Z" symbol on an advert poster at a local bus stop - an act of vandalism, the court said. He also tore off "Z" symbols pasted onto cars.
Later, last autumn, the court said Nikolayev set fire to a military recruitment centre in Khabarovsk using "two incendiary bottles with a flammable mixture" - a terrorist act. No one was harmed in the incident but the building sustained serious damage, according to the court.
The prosecutor had sought an 18-year sentence for Nikolayev. He pleaded guilty, according to Zona Solidarnosti, but did not express any regret.
Over 20,000 people have been detained in Russia for expressing anti-war views since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to Russian rights group OVD-Info. That figure includes those arrested for non-violent offences, such as posting negative opinions about the Russian army online or giving interviews to journalists about the war.
Reuters
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