Parachutists before the verdict

"The Ruferov case" is coming to an end. One of the defendants stated that he was forced to stipulate the rest of the accused

In the Tagan court of Moscow, the process in the so -called "Ruer case" is drawing to an end. Five young people are accused of hooliganism and vandalism for the fact that on August 20, 2014 they allegedly painted a star on a spire of a high -rise building on the Kotelnikiye embankment in Moscow with blue paint and hoisted the Ukrainian flag there. On August 28, in court, the last of the five defendants - Anna Lepeshkina gave testimony, after which several witnesses of the defense performed. At the previous meeting, the rest of the defendants were interrogated. None of them pleaded guilty. One of the Ruferov Vladimir Podrezov said that he stipulated the other accused under pressure from investigators.

In the bench of the defendants-four Baisjampers-paratroopers-34-year-old Alexander Pogrebov, 27-year-old Aleksei Shirokhukhov and Evgenia Korotkov, 26-year-old Anna Lepeshkina and Rufer, 23-year-old Vladimir Podrezov. For more than a year, paratroopers spent under house arrest, and undercuts in the pre -trial detention center.

Young people are accused of hooliganism and vandalism-because they allegedly painted a star on a high-rise spire on the Kotelnikiye embankment of Moscow in yellow-blue colors and hoisted the Ukrainian flag to the highest point of the building. Literally the day after the action, the responsibility for these actions was taken by the Kiev Rufer Pavel Zashiv, known on the network under the name Grigory Mustang .

After that, the investigation concluded that he directly and Vladimir Podrezov repainted the star and hung the flag, and the four paratroopers, knowing about the actions of the "accomplices", jumped from the skyscraper in order to "draw attention to the painted star." Grigory Mustang is now arrested in absentia in Russia and put on an international wanted list.

The investigation in this case lasted almost a year, since, as the lawyers say, the investigation group did not manage to collect a sufficient amount of evidence to confirm the connection between the four paratroopers and the Mustang. In December, the investigator changed in the case, and then the testimony of one of the accused, Vladimir Podrazov, changed: they appeared in them that Mustang planned that four more Beisjampers would participate in the action.

Parachutists deny guilt, like any acquaintance with Vladimir Podrazov and Grigory Mustang. According to them, on the night of August 20, they were on a high -rise on Kotelnicheskaya embankment, but they have nothing to do with the repainted star. In court, all four have repeatedly stated that they were not interested in politics. Vladimir Podrezov admitted that he was in the building with Mustang that night, but he also did not participate in the painting of the star. Sorezov found himself only indirectly guilty of vandalism, because he did not prevent the mustan from painting the star. He rejected accusations of hooliganism, saying that he considered it impossible to insult someone's feelings "at an altitude of more than 100 meters at 4 in the morning."

He spoke to himself for a very long time, but he acted honestly

During the court session, on August 27, Vladimir Podrezov said that he stipulated Beisjampov. According to him, in the protocol of interrogation, which he originally signed, there were no words that according to the plan of the Mustang, paratroopers should jump from a skyscraper, but then this phrase appeared in his testimony. According to Podrazov, Mustang did not plan to attract anyone else to the action-they learned about paratroopers in the morning: when they returned from the Kotelnichee Embankment to Prasezov’s apartment, they turned on the Internet and read the news. Sickle also explained that before full -time rates with the rest of the defendants, a certain operative came up to him and asked to say that he confirms the early data of the testimony.

The correspondent of the Mediazon publication Nikita Sologub told Radio Liberty how they took the statement of Vladimir Podrazov in court:

The judge understands everything that this case is the result of the fact that the investigators worked poorly, too early reported to the authorities, and that there is no evidence in principle.

- Apparently, Vladimir had a choice in court: either to continue to lie, as the investigation told him, or choose the truth, which he did. I think he spoke to himself for a very long time, but he acted honestly. This is very similar to the process of Sentsov, where he was a witness to Gennady Afanasyev , who also refused to testify in court, saying that they were given under pressure. The judge, it seems to me, understands that this case is the result of the fact that the investigators worked poorly, reported too early before the authorities, and that in principle there is no evidence. I went to all meetings, and the judge is understandable to the paratroopers for sure - she laughs all the time, says: well, let's tell us. But they all the time tell very clearly, up to the indication of floors, meters, with numbers. It is clear that these people do not lie when they talk about how they make jumping, that they have no idea about the political situation. The judge understands this, she jokes with them all the time, ends the meetings earlier, for example, at the request of the defendant (there is one pregnant girl there). Outwardly, it all looks like she understands everything. But how everything will really be, we will only find out on the verdict. It seems to me that for a long time she could not believe what Pretzov said, asked, they say, you think that you gave these testimonies under the pressure of investigators, that in fact this was not? I asked for several times, I was still surprised.

On August 27, three paratroopers also gave the testimony - Alexander Pogrebov, Alexei Shirozhukhov and Evgenia Korotkov. Their stories coincided to the smallest details. The defendants talked in detail about how on the night of August 20, 2014 they were going to jump from another building, but after they could not get there, we went to a high -rise to Kotelnicheskaya Embankment. The paratroopers found out that the star on the spire was repainted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag after they were detained.

According to the defendants, the police department exerted pressure on them and offered to stipulate comrades in exchange for conditional terms. As Evgenia Korotkova said, a spray can slipped into her car, but hurried - it turned out to be not blue, but green. According to Alexander Pogrebov, the police did not want to listen to their version of the events: when Baggov tried to explain that he did not repaint the star, the police threatened that they would “wipe the spire with jeans of paratroopers and thereby prove their involvement. On August 28, the last defendant - Anna Lepeshkina gave the testimony. At the last meeting, she asked to transfer her interrogation due to poor well-being: the girl is in the seventh month of pregnancy. Her story coincided with the story of the rest of the paratroopers.

According to journalist Nikita Sologub, the defendants still do not understand why they were on the bench of the defendants, and hope for a quick completion of the process:

People who are engaged in Beisjamping are like astronauts who rise into space, and then earthly problems seem to them with something insignificant

“They still do not understand why they are.” All five have nothing to do with politics. I looked through their social networks: they are not subscribed to any news resources. People who are engaged in Beisjamping are like astronauts who climb into space, and then earthly problems seem to them something insignificant. These people also. They only think about sports, how to make as many jumps as possible. For them, these jumps in Moscow with parachutes were preparing to jump from the mountains. This is the only thing that really interested them. Alexei Shirokhukhov, for example, flew out of the university 6 times due to the fact that he was engaged in parachute. That is, they are so passionate. They are not aware of the political situation, they do not understand why they are judged. Everyone wants to finish it as quickly as possible. Now the problem is that the accused Lepeshkina is pregnant, it is already enough at a long time, she cannot be in the courtroom for a long time, so they try to finish early. They go towards her, the judge does not mind. I think that this year was difficult for them under house arrest, because they are all athletes, and when you are deprived of something so important in life, it is difficult to give, ”said journalist Nikita Sologub.

The meeting on August 28 was also the defense witnesses: relatives and friends of the defendants, who characterized them from the positive side and once again confirmed that paratroopers were not interested in politics. In addition, the investigator was given by the investigator, who headed the investigative group of this investigation, Vyacheslav Krivorotov. He stated that he had no pressure on the paratroopers and that all full -time rates between the defendants were held within the law.

At the next meeting on August 31, it is expected that the participants in the process will go to the debate, after which the defendants will perform with the last word and the judge will go to the deliberation room. What may turn out to be the verdict in this case, now no one takes to predict. As the lawyers of the defendants repeatedly said, human rights activists and observers who follow the case, the paratroopers were “in the wrong place, not at that time,” and the accusations from them should have been removed at the investigation, but the political background forces the power to hold them as “hostages” . The Memorial human rights center introduced all the defendants in this case on the list of political prisoners. Young people face up to 7 years in prison.