Russian protesters sentenced to 19 years in prison for setting fire to military enlistment office

Russian police officer Photo: Andrey Kekjalyainen/Alamy Stock Photo

Two Russians sentenced to 19 years in prison for attempting to set fire to a military enlistment office.

Aleksey Nuriev and Roman Nasryev were found guilty of terrorism by the district military court in Yekaterinburg, Russia's third largest city. They are expected to spend most of their time in a maximum security prison.

Nureyev, a 37-year-old firefighter, and Mr. Nasryev, a 27-year-old driver in the National Guard, celebrated Mr. Nureyev's birthday in October when they approached the administration building in Bakal town and threw three Molotov cocktails at it.

The fire was quickly put out by a night watchman, but one of the employees testified in court that the fire could have destroyed the military records of about 4,000 people, thereby paralyzing local war recruiting efforts in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin's mobilization of several hundred thousand man last year provoked a wave of arson protests across the country.

Mr. Nureyev and Mr. Nasryev, who play together in a rock band, said in court that they were forced to plead guilty.

Before the war, arson could occur. on probation, but last year the Russian Parliament amended the criminal law to allow prosecutors to qualify such crimes as terrorist attacks. was particularly harsh, as the defendants used to work in government agencies.

One of the men testified during the trial that, in his opinion, setting fire to the building was the only way to protest Putin's decision to send civilians to war.

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“With my actions, I just wanted to show that there are people. in our city who do not agree with the mobilization and (the war in Ukraine),” Nasryev said, adding that he wants his “voice to be heard.”

Counting the Russian edition of Mediazon, which was documenting attacks on government buildings, suggested that angry Russians set fire to at least 94 military registration and enlistment offices last year.

The Kremlin has essentially criminalized all forms of protest against the invasion of Ukraine, equating mere criticism of the war with “discrediting Russian armed forces.