Drawing by the imprisoned anarchist Sergey Romanov
November 3, 2024
Anarchist Alexei Rozhkov is being charged under the article “terrorist act” for the arson of a military enlistment office in Berezovsky in March 2022, as well as for “justifying terrorism” and “spreading fakes” about the Russian army due to an interview he gave to “Khodorkovsky Live” while in Kyrgyzstan. At the end of May 2023, Rozhkov was illegally transported out of Kyrgyzstan, where he had previously fled, fearing the intensification of the charges. In total, Alexey could face up to 22.5 years of imprisonment.
At one of the court hearings, Lyudmila Reutova, a Russian language and literature teacher and the mother of Alexei’s classmate with whom he had previously lived for six months, testified. The brave woman did not hesitate to say that she knows Alexei as an intelligent, creative, and well-read young man, and also emphasized that he is an empathetic and kind person.
There is much to say about Alexei, but only good things <…> It pains me greatly to see Alexei in the dock. I consider Alexey my son. I am proud that fate brought me together with such a person. He is probably one of the best people I have ever met in my life.” Reutova does not consider Alexei to be a terrorist; she calls him a patriot: “Terrorism is when a plane flies into the Twin Towers and hundreds, thousands of people die. Terrorism is when people come to a concert, and they get shot in the chest. Terrorism is when a mother, with a child in her arms, brought her second child to the first grade, and everyone dies. But Alexey is not a terrorist. Alexei is not an enemy of our country. Alexei is not an enemy of our people <…> Patriotism is not just love for your land, not just for the territory where you live, for the place where you were born, it is love for your people. It is the readiness to sacrifice oneself, to give one’s life for the betterment of the people, for the freedom of the people. And in this regard, I believe that Alexei… he can be called a patriot.
The next court hearing in Alexei’s case is scheduled for November 20.
An 18-year-old antifascist, Yuri Mikheev, faces up to 10 years in prison. A year ago, on November 11, 2023, he and a friend were detained on the territory of a military unit in the Moscow region. The FSB accused the young men of planning to set military equipment on fire. The young men were charged under articles on “preparation for sabotage.” On October 9, the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow extended the detention of Yury Mikheyev and 20-year-old brothers Matvey and Timofey Melnikov in a pre-trial detention center for 1 month. At the hearing, it became known that a new case had been opened against the Melnikov brothers for “treason” (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and participation in a “terrorist organization” (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). This is likely related to the fact that they confessed to carrying out a mission for the Free Russia Legion. The charge against Yuri Mikheev has not changed – “preparation for sabotage.” Continue reading “News about some imprisoned comrades in Russia and Belarus. October 2024” →
