The Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg sentenced Roman Nasryev and Aleksey Nuriev to 19 years in prison for setting fire to the administration building, which housed the military registration desk. According to the Solidarity Zone, Nasryev and Nureyev will spend the first four years in prison, and the next in a strict regime colony.
Human rights activists note that this is the most severe sentence for anti-war arson to date. As a result of the arson attempt, no one was hurt, the linoleum caught fire in the room, but the watchman put it out with water and a rag. Nevertheless, the actions of Nasryev and Nuriev were qualified under the articles “terrorist act” (part 2 of article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and “training for the purpose of committing terrorist activities” (article 205.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The term under the second article cannot be less than 15 years.
Nasryev stated in court that by his act he wanted to protest against the war in Ukraine and mobilization:
“I decided to carry out such an action because I did not agree with the mobilization, the “special military operation” and the war in general. With my action, I just wanted to show that in our city there is disagreement with the mobilization and the “special military operation”. I wanted to convey my position of disagreement in this way, I wanted my voice to be heard.
Nasryev and Nuriev tried to set fire to the administration building in October 2022, but were detained several months later. Initially, they were charged with an article on intentional destruction and damage to property (Article 167 of the Criminal Code). The case was later reclassified. Human rights activists from the “Zone of Solidarity” wrote that “perhaps such an unreasonably cruel accusation is due to the fact that the defendants in the case are conditionally loyal to the authorities of the environment: Alexei Nureyev is an employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and Roman Nasryev worked as a driver in a private security service belonging to the National Guard.”