Ilia Podkamennyi
Ilia Podkamennyi, born 2004, Irkutsk Oblast. Charges: Article 205 part 1 applied with Article 30 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Preparation for a terrorist attack); Article 205.1 part 4, Russian Criminal Code (Organization of terrorist activities or its financing); Article 205.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Public incitement to terrorism or justification of terrorism (using media or the internet)); “Ilia Podkamennyi's case of calls for extremism and terrorism and preparation of a terrorist act”. Sentence (October 19, 2023): 12 years' imprisonment in a strict regime colony. Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since March 4, 2024; place of detention: Pre-trial detention centre No. 1, Krasnoyarsk Krai. Recognition: Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, August 4, 2023.
In brief
Irkutsk Oblast · Irkutsk · Manual workers · Anti-war cases, Terrorism cases, Extremism cases
Sentence
12 years
imprisonment in a strict regime colony
Upheld March 4, 2024
Charges
- Article 205 part 1 applied with Article 30 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Preparation for a terrorist attack
- Article 205.1 part 4, Russian Criminal Code — Organization of terrorist activities or its financing
- Article 205.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Public incitement to terrorism or justification of terrorism (using media or the internet)
- Article 205.3, Russian Criminal Code — Receiving training for the commission of terrorist crimes
- Article 280 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Public calls for extremism
- Article 280 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Public calls for extremism (using mass media or the internet)
Full wording of the charges
According to the investigation, he wrapped copper wire around the railway tracks and attached leaflets, handwritten on notebook paper, to the tracks, as well as collected funds to prepare an explosion at the local military recruitment office. Podkamennyi was charged with calls for extremism on the Internet and public justification of terrorism because of several comments in the Telegram chat "Siberian Liberation Movement", in which, according to the investigation, he called for obstructing the activities of state bodies, setting fire to military registration and enlistment offices, and using incendiary mixtures for this purpose. The court considered the fact that Podkamennyi's mother found containers with petrol, kerosene, and acetone in her son's room and took them out of the house as evidence of preparation of a terrorist act. Downloading of the book "Russian Cuisine. The ABCs of 'Home Terrorism" from the internet, which includes methods for making incendiary mixtures, was considered as undergoing training with the intent to commit a terrorist act." During the investigation, Podkamenyi himself said that the link to the book was sent to him by a person who introduced himself as a Ukrainian soldier and suggested setting fire to the military recruitment office.
Latest event
March 4, 2024 — appeal
The court upheld the verdict.
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners, August 4, 2023
Timeline
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 12 years
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
· Preventive measure changed
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Preventive measure: house arrest
· Persecution begins
Ilia Podkamennyi's case of calls for extremism and terrorism and preparation of a terrorist act
Criminal case
Ilia Podkamennyi's case of calls for extremism and terrorism and preparation of a terrorist act
Thematic group: Anti-war case; The case of Siberian Liberation Movement
Write a letter
Facility: Pre-trial detention centre No. 1, Krasnoyarsk Krai
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
660075, Красноярский край, г. Красноярск, ул. Республики, 72, ФКУ СИЗО-1 ГУФСИН России по Красноярскому краю, Подкаменный Илья Вячеславович, 2004 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
He worked at the Subway fast-food chain. Podkamennyi was detained in November 2022. According to the investigation, he wrapped copper wire around railway tracks and attached handwritten leaflets to the tracks. The leaflets contained slogans such as "Death to the Katsaps!", "Instead of leaves, Putinists will be hanging", and "Freedom for Siberia!".
Podkamennyi admitted his guilt. From 17 November to 21 December, he was under house arrest. Then the investigator appointed an stationary psychiatric assessment, after which the young man injured himself and was taken to hospital. Then the investigator asked the court to send Podkamennyi to the pre-trial detention centre.
In December, it became known that a case had also been opened against the young man for preparing and organising terrorist attack (presumably, under Article 205 of the Criminal Code with the application of Article 30 of the Criminal Code, as well as Part 4 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code). Podkamennyi was accused of collecting funds to prepare an explosion at the local military recruitment office. Later it was reported that the case also included articles on undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities (Article 205.3 of the Criminal Code) and on publicly justifying terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code).
Podkamennyi entered into a pre-trial agreement with the investigation, but it was annulled because the first offence he was charged with was committed while he was still a minor. On 19 October 2023, Podkamennyi was sentenced to 12 years in a strict regime colony.
Arson attacks on military recruitment centres have become a popular form of anti-war protest, which, of course, cannot be called peaceful, but in the vast majority of cases this action looks more like a gesture of despair than a planned act intended to cause serious damage. It is known that not all cases of arson attacks on military recruitment offices during the war were classified as terrorist acts. It should be noted that no one was harmed by Podkamennyi's actions, and even if the arson was planned, the young man did not have the opportunity to carry it out. In this regard, the classification of his actions as terrorist, as well as the use of four articles from the "terrorist package", seems excessive.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 205 part 1 applied with Article 30 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.