Search
A criminal case for ‘justification of terrorism’ (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code) has been filed with the 1st Western District Military Court in St Petersburg against 19-year-old Vladislav Timofeyev from Pskov. This was reported by Mediazona.
The young man is accused of posting comments supporting the “Russian Volunteer Corps” (RDK) and the “Azov” Regiment, as well as images calling for people to join their ranks. According to law enforcement, he posted these messages in a Telegram chat between November 2024 and February 2025.
“No one is fighting for some government. Ukrainians are fighting for the freedom of their nation, for higher ideals and eternal values, for their set of principles—against the yoke of slavery and the [expletive] Kremlin horde that has come to Slavic lands to kill white people. Russians in the RDK are also fighting for freedom, for their homeland. The same goes for Belarusians. Those who want national freedom are also fighting for Ukraine. There are no other options. The RDK is the only Russian position, there are no others,” read one of the comments. In another message, Timofeyev praised one of the founders of Azov—Andriy Biletsky.
The charges were brought against the young person in July. It is not known exactly what preventive measure was imposed, but he was not sent to a pre-trial detention centre (SIZO). Timofeyev pleaded guilty. During interrogation, he said he was the editor of a “right-wing radical chat” with 120 members and did indeed post such comments. He later wrote a voluntary confession and donated five thousand rubles (approximately US$55) to the “Everything for Victory” fund.
An FSB officer whose testimony was read out in court stated that a note titled “Plan for 2025” was found on devices seized from Timofeyev, in which the young man wrote that he wanted to save 50,000 rubles (about US$550), drop out of school, obtain a foreign passport, leave Russia, and join the RDK. Security forces also reportedly found a folder containing the antisemitic essay “Judaism in Music” by Richard Wagner, books including “Mein Kampf” and “The Anarchist Cookbook,” images about the Third Reich and National Socialism, as well as instructions for car theft and bomb-making.
In June, Timofeyev was charged with ‘inciting hatred or enmity’ (Article 20.3.1 of the Administrative Code) over a comment about Russian authorities and supporters of the war in Ukraine. That same month, he was found guilty under this article and received an administrative penalty, though it is not known which specific penalty was imposed.
Timofeyev completed nine years of school before entering a technical college. He works as a press operator at the “Slavyanka” garment factory, earning 20,000 rubles per month (around US$220).