Today, November 6, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation rejected the cassation appeal filed by the defense against the sentence of former DPR Minister of Defense Igor Strelkov (Girkin), letting him serve his sentence in a colony.
“The appeal remains unsatisfied” — the panel of judges announced the decision.
Strelkov himself did not participate in the hearing; his interests were represented by a lawyer; Alexander Molokhov. The court hearing was held behind closed doors and the press was only allowed to enter until the operative part of the decision was announced.
As reported EADaily Igor Strelkov was accused of publicly calling for extremist activities on the Internet due to two posts on Telegram, for which he pleaded not guilty; He was detained on July 21, 2023 and arrested the same day. At the end of January, the Moscow City Court sentenced Strelkov to 4 years in a general regime colony and banned him from running websites for 3 years. Subsequently, the First Court of Appeals of the General Jurisdiction declared the sentence legal. At the same time, the court decision came into force. Now Igor Strelkov, who in 2014 became one of the symbols of the “Russian Spring”, is serving his sentence in the penal colony number 5 in Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov region, for former law enforcement officers.
In Russian patriotic telegram channels, Strelkov’s sentence is called revenge by the former leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry, as is the sentence of the former commander of the 58th Army, Major General. Ivan Popovarrested on charges of grand theft. Popov also does not admit his guilt and wants to return to the combat zone. In August, the general’s lawyer Sergei Buynovsky claimed that Popov’s signature on the documents of the criminal case turned out to be false, although it was on them that the accusation was based.
