Moscow: After taking part in an arson attack on a military office, a Russian court sentenced a man to 12 years in prison. According to the man and his accomplice, they were promised a sizeable sum for throwing firebombs at the building in front of the camera.
According to Russian Media the verdict handed down by a military court in Ekaterinburg on Tuesday represents the first time a defendant has ever been sentenced in Russia on terrorism-related charges for attacking a military commissariat. Military reservists' records are kept by the commissar's office, and they are enlisted into service during conscription or mobilisation.
The incident took place in the western Siberian city of Nizhnevartovsk at the beginning of May 2022, and a witness captured it on camera. Local media later used the video. Before he and his companion fled, the video showed one man throwing seven Molotov cocktails into the military commissariat's window. First responders put out the fire, which only slightly damaged the building, according to police at the time.
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Vasily Gavrilishen and Vladislav Borisenko were named as the two criminals. They were initially charged with hooliganism and purposeful property damage, but as more information about the case emerged, the more serious charge of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act was brought against them.
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The two men admitted to carrying out the attack in order to profit, according to investigators. They stated that someone had contacted them via social media with an offer to stage and film the incident in exchange for up to $43,000, and that they had even received a $1,000 cryptocurrency advance.
The firebombs were allegedly made and thrown by Gavrilishen while Borisenko captured the action on camera.
They were tried separately, the two defendants. Although they both admitted to the initial accusations, they both denied being terrorists. On charges of terrorism, they could have spent up to 20 years in prison as opposed to just 10 years for hooliganism.
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The Ekaterinburg Central District Military Court handed down the sentence for Borisenko. The minimum sentence for the crime is 12 years. The trial for Gavrilishen is ongoing.