The Second Western District Military Court at an off-site meeting in the Baltic Naval Military Court sentenced Vyacheslav Popov, a 44-year-old resident of Kaliningrad, to nine years in prison in the case of preparing a terrorist attack. Sever.Realii writes about this with reference to lawyer Maria Bontsler.
He was found guilty of preparing for a terrorist attack (part 1 of article 30 and part 1 of article 205 of the Criminal Code) and illegal manufacture and possession of explosives (part 1 of articles 223.1 and 222.1 of the Criminal Code).
According to Bonzler, Popov was given three years in prison and six years in a strict regime colony. He spent almost a year in jail, so he will spend two years in prison. “The court took into account the admission of guilt, assistance to the investigation, so he gave 9 years, not 15 or 20, as it could be. He was also fined 210 thousand rubles. We will appeal against the court’s decision,” she said.
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The materials of the court say that Popov “was dissatisfied with the SVO in Ukraine,” in connection with which he planned to commit a terrorist attack on the territory of one of the military units. During the investigation, he said that he wanted to arrange a terrorist attack using an improvised explosive device, the components of which – TNT checkers, a fuse, self-tapping screws – he found in a package in a forest belt. At the trial, one of the witnesses for the prosecution said that Popov allegedly planned to leave for Ukraine to fight against Russia.
Popov was detained on May 6, 2022. The FSB called him a supporter of the banned extremist organization Right Sector, he allegedly planned to commit a terrorist attack before Victory Day. During a search in the apartment where Popov lives with his mother, they seized an improvised explosive device with striking elements and paraphernalia with the Right Sector symbols. A criminal case was initiated under the articles “Terrorist act” and “Illegal manufacture of explosive devices.”
His mother, Valentina, said that her son did not have a passport, he was not going to leave anywhere and was not a member of the Right Sector. According to her, during the search, the FSB officers put her out the door, and then Popova found unfamiliar packages in her apartment, which contained parts of an improvised explosive device. Also, symbols associated with Ukraine and the Right Sector appeared in the room. She does not believe in the accusation against Popov’s son, and she called the search a staging.
According to Sever.Realii, until 2015, Popov was a member of the regional “Baltic Vanguard of Russian Resistance” (BARS). This is a movement of marginal monarchists, adherents of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. BARS members positioned themselves as Russian nationalists, held peaceful actions and marches in support of political prisoners, and opposed corruption. In 2020, four LARS members were convicted of extremism for terms ranging from three to eight years. Popov, as a former member of the organization, was a witness in the case.
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