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The 2nd Western District Military Court has sentenced photographer Alexander Strukov to six years in a penal colony on charges of inciting terrorism (Article 205.2, Part 2 of the Criminal Code). Mediazona reported this.
The sentence was issued cumulatively with the remaining term from the first case. According to his lawyer, in practice, his sentence has been increased by a year and a half.
As Mediazona wrote, the new case was opened because, after the verdict in the first case, Strukov shouted: “Glory to Ukraine! Death to Putin!.” He also insulted the judges who handed down the verdict, wished good luck to the Ukrainian military, and asked his lawyer to submit an application to revoke his Russian citizenship.
State prosecutor Svetlana Tarasova insisted that the wish for Putin’s death was an incitement to terrorist activity.
Today in court, the photographer said that he was not ashamed of his words and did not plead guilty:
“This is a political statement, guaranteeing the end of the war, and does not imply any real action.”
- Strukov has been in custody since January 2022. In November 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony on charges of inciting terrorism (Article 205.2, Part 2 of the Criminal Code) and inciting hatred (Article 282, Part 2 of the Criminal Code). On appeal, the sentence was reduced by two months.
- The grounds for the first criminal case were comments in the Telegram channel of the outlet Znak.com. In some of them, the photographer wrote: “Glory to Ukraine,” “Down with the rule of the Chekists,” “Good morning to everyone, down with Putin!”
- While in the colony, Strukov was repeatedly sent to a punishment cell (SHIZO), spending at least 70 days there in total. Despite Strukov having asthma and chronic bronchitis, he was sent to work in a tile production facility. After this, he developed inflammation on his face, hands, and feet.