Vasily Moskovets
Vasily Moskovets, born 1974, Chelyabinsk Oblast. Charges: Article 167 part 2 applied with Article 33 part 4, Russian Criminal Code (Encouragement of another person to commit willful destruction of or damage to property (committed…); “The case of the attempted arson at the plant”. Sentence (May 10, 2022): one year five months' suspended imprisonment. Status: at large.
In brief
Chelyabinsk Oblast · Chelyabinsk · Environmentalists
Sentence
1 year 5 months
one year five months' suspended imprisonment
First instance, March 28, 2021: 2 years 6 months
Charges
- Article 167 part 2 applied with Article 33 part 4, Russian Criminal Code — Encouragement of another person to commit willful destruction of or damage to property (committed out of hooliganism, by a generally dangerous method, or resulting in grave consequences)
Full wording of the charges
incited Gamil Asatullin and Yevgeny Medvedev to set fire to the plant
Latest event
May 10, 2022 — appeal
The court delivered a guilty verdict.
Timeline
· Appeal ruling
guilty verdict
· Persecution ends
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 2 years 6 months
· Preventive measure: travel ban (written undertaking)
· Persecution begins
The case of the attempted arson at the plant
Criminal case
The case of the attempted arson at the plant
Other defendants in the case
- Hamil Asatullin — At large, 1 year 5 months
Details and sources
Full summary
Vasily Moskovets is the leader of the Stop Mining and Processing Plant movement, which opposes the construction of a mining and processing plant near Chelyabinsk. In March 2015, he became aware that as early as in September 2014, an operational and investigative surveillance was launched against him. In addition, Moskovets has repeatedly faced opposition from local authorities in connection with organising actions against the construction of the plant.
After a case was opened against the same movement activist Gamil Asatullin in September 2017 for attempted arson at the construction site of the plant, operatives of the Centre for Countering Extremism forced him to testify against Moskovets: Asatullin said that he approved the idea of arson and was even the initiator. Asatullin later said that he testified under pressure. Another defendant in the case, Yevgeny Medvedev, whom local activists consider a provocateur, also testified against Moskovets: Medvedev claimed that Moskovets repeatedly said that some provocation should be committed in the construction area. It was also reported that the police had audio recordings of phone conversations between Moskovets and Medvedev made by the latter. According to Moskovets' lawyer, police officers saw in Moskovets' statements signs of incitement to hatred and calls for mass disorder and in February 2018 passed these recordings to the Investigative Committee. However, in March, the Investigative Committee replied that there were no grounds to even conduct a criminal investigation.
In February 2018, leaflets with inaccurate information about people opposing the construction of the plant, in particular, about Moskovets, appeared in Chelyabinsk. Around the same time, leaflets dedicated to Moskovets' ex-wife were distributed in the neighbouring city of Kopeysk.
On 17 December 2018, a criminal case was opened against Moskovets - he was accused of incitement to arson. In February 2019, intentional destruction of the Tominsk forest was added to the charge, but this charge was no longer in the text of the indictment, which Moskovets was acquainted with in March. According to his lawyer, the activist was decided to be prosecuted after he announced his intention to run for mayor of Chelyabinsk. Moskovets is under a recognisance not to leave.
On 29 March 2021 he was sentenced to two and a half years of probation. On 13 July, the appeal court dropped the hooliganism charge and reduced the sentence to one and a half years suspended.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia