Chelyabinsk oppositionist Alexey Moroshkin left a psychiatric hospital

Chelyabinsk resident Alexei Moroshkin, against whom a case of separatism was opened in the summer of 2015 in connection with publications on the social network VKontakte about the need to create the Ural People's Republic, was released from a psychiatric hospital. The decision on thiswas made by the Sovetsky District Court of Chelyabinsk on June 1.

According to Moroshkin’s mother Tatyana, the court’s decision was made on the recommendation of the head physician of the hospital on the basis of an examination that took place on May 4. The hospital asked to stop compulsory treatment of Moroshkin. The prosecution supported this request, and the court agreed with it. The hospital doctors came to the conclusion that Moroshkin no longer poses a danger to himself and others.

The case of calls for separatism was opened on the basis of Moroshkin’s posts on the VKontakte social network about the need to create the Ural People’s Republic. The reason for the decision on compulsory psychiatric treatment for Moroshkin, apparently, was his online publications and interviews dedicated to the virtual Church of the Chelyabinsk Meteorite that he invented. Despite the fact that Moroshkin was not registered with a psychiatrist before the case was opened, forensic experts during the investigation into the case of calls for separatism diagnosed him with “paranoid schizophrenia” with the wording “delirium of religious reformism.”

In addition, in October 2015, a case of vandalism was opened against Moroshkin in connection with painting a bust of Lenin in Chelyabinsk in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, although there is no evidence of his involvement in this in the case. On April 25, 2017, Moroshkin’s house was searched in connection with this case.