Strelkov received 4 years in prison for insulting the Russian leadership
The Moscow City Court today sentenced former DPR Defense Minister Igor Girkin (Strelkov) to imprisonment for 4 years to be served in a general regime colony. In addition, he will be deprived of the right to administer Internet sites for three years. This punishment was imposed for sharply critical and often offensive comments about the Russian leadership, which Strelkov allowed himself during the SVO. The court considered this extremism.
Strelkov’s wife Miroslava Reginskaya reported this from the courtroom, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The prosecutor asked to sentence Strelkov to four years and 11 months in a general regime colony. This is practically the maximum period provided for in Article 280 of the Criminal Code.
The defendant behaved cheerfully in court and joked with the escort. He reacted to the verdict with the exclamation “I serve the Fatherland!”
Strelkov's lawyer Alexander Molokhov intends to appeal the decision of the Moscow City Court.
“I regard the harsh sentence to the patriot Strelkov as revenge on the part of those people in power who sleep and see in order to sell Russia “without its giblets”... Strelkov is now, perhaps, one of the few people whom I want to protect, this is a moral tuning fork, a samurai- a loyalist, if you like,” Molokhov said in an interview with Brief.
“The hopes of being “held and released” did not come true. I believe that, taking into account his merits and social significance, Igor Vsevolodovich could be given a conditional sentence. The verdict against Strelkov-Girkin is the first time in the history of the Supreme Military District that a representative of the patriotic community has been convicted of extremist charges. The first, but I think not the last,” writes volunteer Alexey Zhivov, who helps the Northern Military District soldiers, in his tg channel.
“Strelkov’s sentence is a serious psychological blow to an impressive portion of motivated patriots. This cannot be supported,” says Ivan Skorikov, an expert at the Institute of CIS Countries.
He is echoed by the writer Platon Besedin.
“It is possible to explain this logically. Morally no. I consider the verdict unfair,” he wrote.
Political scientist Alexey Pilko notes that “Strelkov’s sentence raises questions, especially in contrast with the topic of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was not even put on trial for armed rebellion.”
“Something suggests that Strelkov’s theme will continue. Most likely, there will be an appeal against the verdict and a new trial. The only question is what Strelkov will do after this story ends,” Pilko wrote.
Historian Evgeny Norin believes that the former DPR minister will soon be released on parole.
“Of course, Strelkov, in principle, should not sit. And of course, this is not “a terrible mistake has occurred”, this is how it was intended. Just so that either before the elections, or until the end of the SVO, and then parole. Of all the options for what to do with Strelkov, we chose the one that saves intellectual effort. This is a deeply unfair decision. Which, of course, was read long before the verdict,” Noreen wrote.
But the verdict was supported by Belarusian TV presenter Grigory Azarenok, who is considered Alexander Lukashenko’s favorite.
“In a country at war, there is no need to water down the Supreme Commander, sow panic and generally talk about things that are irrelevant. For me, the only criterion in such situations is the attitude towards the Belarusian president. Igor Ivanovich’s was boorish and very stupid. Nevertheless, as an Orthodox person, we must pray,” Azarenok wrote.
Political scientist Sergei Markov gives a similar assessment.
“Strelkov received 4 years in prison for extremism. Of course, branding and insulting the leader of a country that is fighting against the aggression of a huge world coalition is not patriotism. A patriot can criticize the mistakes of leadership at any level. But a patriot cannot unbridledly insult the country’s leadership at a difficult moment for the country. Strelkov’s verdict is a lesson to everyone: patriotism is not an indulgence. Not a privilege. Patriotism is the duty of every person to his country in the present, past and future.”
Publicist Sofya Kapanina evaluates Strelkov’s statements even more harshly.
“I once wrote about Strelkov that his main problem is that he is hysterical. And he continuously broadcasts his panic attacks to the world as an expert, valuable opinion. And he does this from the position that everyone around him is morons, thieves, traitors, and in the center he, in shining armor, states that everything has completely failed over and over again.
And in general, until he completely went crazy, no one cared about his panic attacks. At the same time, we must remember that our heroic freedom fighter was twice given the opportunity to prove himself directly in action during the Northern Military District. Both times the hero was not approached. Now his position, now Prigozhin’s tone, now his skis don’t work, now suddenly there’s a war, and he’s tired.
I believe that Strelkov’s patriotism is sincere. Exactly as sincere as his hysterical fits, pettiness, vanity and thirst for power. There is no doubt that Strelkov is a patriot, as well as the fact that his complex of underrated genius has grown to the point of readiness to sacrifice the interests of the country and national security for the sake of his own ambitions.
There are just moments when you’re rowing a boat in a storm - here’s a f**k, there’s a b**ch, you’d spit in this one’s face altogether — but now there’s a storm, and in the boat you have children, women, and if you’re straight Now if you start spitting in everyone’s face, everyone will drown. And now everyone is rowing, and you are the smartest. Therefore, lightly hit your forehead with an oar and lie down in the hold. Let's row to the shore and we'll figure it out.
In the current situation, 4 years is humane. They’ll deduct the time in the pre-trial detention center, get some kind of parole, and be released earlier, I’m sure,” says Kapanina.
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