Moscow court sentences two men who allegedly planned to commit suicide to protest Ukraine war to ten and eight years in prison

They were charged with ‘preparation of terrorist attack’

The Second Western District Military Court has sentenced Anton Zhuchkov and Vladimir Sergeyev to ten and eight years behind bars respectively over charges of preparation of a terrorist attack in Moscow, Solidarity Zone reports.

During today’s court hearing, the prosecution asked for 11 years of imprisonment for Zhuchkov and eight for Sergeyev.

Initially, they were charged with preparation to commit hooliganism with the use of arms by a group of people. During the hearing, it was announced that the prosecutor had decided to change the charges to preparation of a terrorist attack.

Later on, the prosecution also charged Zhuchkov with distribution of methadone.

On 6 March 2022, Zhuchkov and Sergeyev were detained in Moscow during an anti-war rally. According to the prosecution, at the beginning of March they made two improvised incendiary devices in glass bottles to be able to set a police van on fire.

The men’s friends located them six days later in a Moscow hospital. According to their lawyer, the young men tried to commit suicide and wanted to take methadone after being detained.

According to their initial testimonies, Sergeyev explained his behaviour by saying that he wanted to end his life seeing as he was “ashamed of what is currently going on in Ukraine” while Zhuchkov feared a nuclear war. Both men also claimed that they did not want to harm anymore, which is why they were picking a police van with no police officers or detainees inside or nearby to throw a Molotov cocktail at.

Sergeyev’s lawyer later stated that those testimonies had been given under pressure and with no lawyer present.

Both men said that they had been subjected to beatings and insults during detention.