The beloved city can sleep peacefully: 3 years ago the FSB foiled Ukrainian terrorist attacks in Crimea
May 9 is not only Victory Day, but also a small anniversary - exactly three years ago, FSB operatives prevented a series of terrorist attacks in Crimea at the preparation stage. A group of four Crimean “united Ukrainians” was preparing sabotage with the aim of wreaking havoc on the peninsula, which had just reunited with Russia. The terrorists outlined a range of tasks for themselves with a long-term view: first, explosions in Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, and they will be followed by a sabotage war on the infrastructure of the republic, railway bridges, and power grids.
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Soon the country learned the names of the Bin Ladens. They turned out to be the handicraft director of one half-film, Oleg Sentsov, “activists” Gennady Afanasyev and Alexander Kolchenko, as well as a history teacher at one of the universities in Simferopol, Alexey Chirniy.
Employees of the Crimean FSB took Ukrainian bombers into operational development back in April 2014. The hyperactive Ukrop youths were suffering from an excess of passion and decided to start their destructive careers with arson. Thus, on April 14, they set fire to the office of the Russian Community of Crimea, and on April 18, to the headquarters of the regional branch of the United Russia party.
Apparently, the arson was carried out so clumsily, and the instigators themselves did not have the slightest idea about the work of the FSB, which had accumulated solid experience in countering Wahhabi terrorism, since they “lit up” after striking matches.
According to information from the FSB Directorate for the Republic of Kazakhstan, obtained during investigative measures, Sentsov traveled around Simferopol, looking for targets for terrorist attacks that could cause a public outcry and at the same time demonstrate that Ukraine has long arms.
The arson of the office of the United Russia party was seen as symbolic: United Russia inherited it from the Ukrainian “regionals,” which were completely destroyed after the victory of Euromaidan.
There was a problem with the office of the “Russian Community of Crimea”: the arsonists planned to launch a red rooster at the headquarters of the “Russian Unity” party, which played an important role in organizing the Crimean resistance during the Crimean Spring, but Akela Sentsov missed, and the office of the “Russian Community” was damaged.
Inspired by two arson attacks and having a taste for terrorist activities, the “gang of four” decided to try their hand at a larger-scale operation: to blow up a monument to Lenin at the railway station. The date of sabotage was chosen appropriately - April 22, the birthday of the leader of the world proletariat.
Roles were assigned. Cherniy volunteered to make the explosives, but he did not have time to meet the deadline. It was either due to the history teacher’s general crankiness in the field of combat chemistry, or the grenade turned out to be of the wrong system. At this time, Sentsov was nervous and was ready to go and blow up the monument to Lenin on his own and with whatever he had to. In the end, Cherny nevertheless built a bomb and ran to plant it personally on the night of May 8–9, but was grabbed by the trunk “in flagranti.” The chemist with a historical bent did not lock himself away.
That same night, Afanasiev was carefully caught while removing a backpack with explosives from a cache under one of the bridges over Salgir. Afanasyev, caught red-handed, on camera, in the presence of witnesses, without visible effort “split” to the very core and gave his first testimony to the romantic trills of the Crimean nightingales
From his words, it turned out that the “package” with explosives was hidden under the bridge by the Right Sector, with whom “director” Sentsov was closely associated, after the referendum on reunification, he bit the bit between his teeth and demanded from his “brothers” more active actions on the territory of the Russian Republic of Crimea. Afanasyev’s testimony was later confirmed by Cherniy.
The scum admitted that on May 9 they had planned explosions in Simferopol, in places with large crowds of people - in the center, on Lenin Square, and in Gagarinsky Park, near the Eternal Flame.
Subsequently, the Right Sectorists, through their press secretary, repeatedly and not very cleverly defended themselves against the backpack with explosives and Nazi propaganda from Sentsov, and generally stated that their organization “operates strictly within the framework of Ukrainian legislation,” which in itself sounded like a joke.
FSB explosives experts on camera and in the presence of witnesses opened the “parcel” in which they found a canister and several plastic bottles filled with silver powder (apparently ammonal industrial explosive), as well as fuses connected by wires, an ancient mobile phone and other materiel. eloquently testifying to Afanasyev’s unhealthy love for pyrotechnics.
It was not difficult to catch the rest of the arsonists. On May 11, Sentsov found food and shelter in the pre-trial detention center, and on May 16, Kolchenko joined the honest company.
During the investigation, the homes of the defendants were checked, which provided additional evidence in the form of explosives, weapons, ammunition, containers with fire mixture, as well as Nazi symbols.
During the lengthy investigation and trial, the “world community” and “television artists” suddenly became deeply sympathetic to Sentsov for his passion for amateur filming. Soon, the terrorist and former owner of a computer gaming club changed his profession and received the support of some Hollywood stars and the Russian director of sad films Sokurov.
Artists personally addressed President Putin with requests to release their “colleague.” In response, those suffering received an explanation that the president does not interfere with the decisions of investigative and judicial authorities, and if Sentsov’s innocence is proven in the process, then world cinema can come out to meet him with his things right at the gates of the pre-trial detention center.
For some reason, world historical science has not shown the same keen interest in the fate of Chirnia.
In general, the Ukrainian and foreign press did their best to politicize the trial of the terrorists, casting a shadow over the fence. The defendants themselves (apparently through their lawyers) began to play political games, talking about the “inhumanity” of the Russian judicial system and the use of torture against them. True, the human rights activists who were specially allowed to approach them did not confirm anything of the sort.
In the end, the Russian court gave each of the “brothers” what they deserved. Afanasyev received 7 years of imprisonment, Chirniy also received 7 years of sky in a large square, Kolchenko earned a “ten”, and “director” Sentsov was locked up for 20 years - to think about his future creative plans. All of them have particularly serious charges: for terrorism, for being a gang, for manufacturing and storing explosives.
Afanasyev, however, was lucky, and in June 2016 he was exchanged for Odessa journalists arrested by the huntars on the universal charge of “separatism.” The rest continue to languish in harsh Chelyabinsk camps. I guess we won't hear from them again.
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