Kvachkov’s defense asks the court to acquit him and return what was seized during the searches

Lawyers for former GRU colonel Vladimir Kvachkov, accused of attempting to prepare a military coup and assisting in terrorist activities, during the debate asked the court to acquit the defendant, an Interfax correspondent reports.

In particular, lawyer Alexey Pershin on Tuesday called on the court to pay attention to the things seized during the search in Kvachkov’s house. “How can you carry out a coup with knives and a traumatic pistol?” - noted the lawyer.

According to the defense lawyer, many of the seized brochures, which are included in the case materials, are legal and are not extremist. The lawyer said that he regards the criminal case against Kvachkov as a “provocation.”

On Monday, in the Moscow City Court, the prosecutor asked to sentence the former GRU colonel to 14 years in a maximum security colony.

Vladimir Kvachkov was detained in his Moscow apartment on December 23, 2010, from where he was immediately taken to the Lefortovo court and arrested. During the investigation, investigators ordered a psychiatric examination for Kvachkov, and he was found to be fully sane. A number of witnesses in the Kvachkov case confirmed the version that the retired colonel was preparing a riot in the city of Kovrov, Vladimir Region.

Shortly before his arrest in the case of preparing a coup in 2010, Kvachkov was acquitted in the case of the assassination attempt on the former head of RAO UES of Russia Anatoly Chubais. The retired colonel also obtained an apology for illegal criminal prosecution and sought through the court compensation for moral damage in the amount of 450 thousand rubles.

Interfax