What Miftakhov is accused of: the broken window case. Chronology

2018

January 31

Unknown people broke the window of the United Russia office in the Khovrino area and threw a smoke bomb inside. A video of the action was published by the anarchist movement “People's Self-Defense”.

February 13

The telegram channel “Kremlin Laundress” published a video , the description of which said: “The anarchists who participated in the Saturday action called: “The state is the main enemy” on Myasnitskaya received a knock on the door early in the morning.”

Later it became known that on that day a search was carried out in the apartment of Moscow animal activist Elena Gorban. The girl was taken to the Main Directorate of the Moscow Ministry of Internal Affairs, where she was interrogated. At first, Gorban was in the status of a witness in the case of vandalism (Part 1 of Article 214 of the Criminal Code), which was opened after the rally near the United Russia branch. The lawyer was not allowed to see Gorban for four hours. When she was finally allowed to pass, the girl already agreed to admit guilt and testify.

In the evening, police came to the Left Bloc activist Alexei Kobaidze. He refused to open the door, and for a long time the police were unable to enter the apartment. After the search, Kobaidze was also taken to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and interrogated.

The activists were detained for 48 hours as suspects. Gorban admitted guilt, and Kobaidze refused to testify, citing Article 51 of the Constitution. After the confrontation, they were released from the temporary detention center on their own recognizance.

March 14th

Searches were carried out at the Left Bloc activists and at the association's headquarters. Security forces detained at least nine people in connection with the broken window.

One of those detained that day told OVD-Info how the search took place:

They forcefully opened the door to our room. They shouted “Face to the floor.” Slava (Svyatoslav Rechkalov - OVD-Info ) was lying down, I was sitting against the wall. I tried to watch what they would do, they shouted at me to look at the wall, otherwise I would lie, like Slava, face down on the floor. They threw a T-shirt over my head so I couldn't see what they were doing. They shouted at me and asked if there was anyone else at home. I said I don't know. They started yelling even more. As a result, they broke into our neighbor’s room, brought us in at gunpoint and forced us to lie face down on the floor, with our hands on our heads.

According to the girl, they tried to obtain testimony from the detainees against the anarchist Svyatoslav Rechkalov. Almost all the activists were released on the same day. Rechkalov remained in custody, later reporting torture .

“On March 14, I woke up to armed armored special forces breaking down the door to my apartment. <...> It all ended for me with electric shocks with a bag over my head in a minivan, during which they explained to me that I needed to fight the raiders under the banner of pro-Kremlin movements, they demanded that I recognize myself as the leader of the anarchists of all Russia, the organizer of all anarchist actions and campaigns in this country < …> The 2018 presidential elections were approaching, the security forces tried to save them from the anarchists as best they could,” Rechkalov told OVD-Info .

March 16

Rechkalov was released from the temporary detention center on his own recognizance. At the beginning of the summer of 2018, he left Russia.

In addition to Rechkalov, the suspects in the case were Elena Gorban, Andrei Eikin and Alexey Kobaidze.

2019

January 16

A photograph of an anarchist, graduate student of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University Azat Miftakhov appeared in the telegram channel “Oper leaked” with insults addressed to him and the caption “We warned you - stop doing nonsense.” Miftakhov had already been mentioned in the channel. In July 2018, they published photographs of detained anarchists with the caption: “And we send a special greeting to another fool who ran away through the courtyards with a package containing a banner for “social activism”! Azat Miftakhov, wait for us to visit.”

January 18

Miftakhov told OVD-Info that they came to his MSU dormitory to conduct a search. The activist was not at home at that moment. Phones, a laptop, books and a large sum of money were confiscated from him.

1st of February

In the morning, searches took place at several addresses in Moscow and the Moscow region - in apartments where activists of the anti-raid movement, as well as activists of the People's Self-Defense, were located. Later it became known that the searches took place as part of a case of manufacturing an explosive device (Part 1 of Article 223.1 of the Criminal Code), which was found in Balashikha on January 11, 2018. After the searches, at least 12 people were detained, including Elena Gorban, Daniil Galkin and Azat Miftakhov. Everyone except Miftakhov was released on the same day.

Galkin later told Mediazona that he was tortured with a stun gun and forced to cooperate. “They throw me on the floor, under the seat, the operatives sit on top of me and put their feet on me. One put his sneaker on my face. We drove for about five minutes. One said: “Well, I promised you.” And they give me electric shocks. They didn’t beat me quickly - one held my leg, and the second one applied a stun gun to my legs, calves, and closer to the groin for three or four seconds. And at this time, another operative was pulling my hands - that is, they were behind my back, and they were pulling my hands the whole way, about two and a half hours. That is, like a swallow,” he recalled.

February 2

At night, the investigator informed lawyer Svetlana Sidorkina that Azat Miftakhov was in the Balashikha temporary detention center. The location of the client was hidden from the lawyer for more than a day. As it turned out, at this time the anarchist was tortured . Miftakhov told Sidorkina that a switched-on screwdriver was pressed against his chest, which left a mark on his body. Miftakhov was then threatened with inserting an instrument into his anus. After this, the young man was punched in the face, punched in the chest, kicked in the legs and chest, and had his hair pulled out. Members of the Public Monitoring Committee confirmed that signs of torture were found on Miftakhov’s body.

In a conversation with the lawyer, the investigator also stated that Miftakhov was allegedly detained on February 2 at 19:10. However, information about his detention appeared in the media, including official ones, on February 1.

February 4

The court was supposed to choose a preventive measure for Miftakhov, but the hearing was postponed for 72 hours.

February 7

Miftakhov was released , but upon leaving the temporary detention center he was immediately detained , this time in the case of a broken window in the United Russia office.

The investigation into this case was suspended in September 2018 “until there is a real possibility of the suspects’ participation in the case.” According to Mediazona, the investigation was resumed on the day of Miftakhov’s re-arrest, and the case itself was reclassified to a more serious offense - hooliganism (Part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code).

After the anarchist was detained, he was taken to the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Northern Administrative District, where Alexei Kobaidze was also summoned. During interrogation, Miftakhov stated that he did not participate in the action. The next day, Kobaidze was identified, during which the activist said that he did not know Mitfakhov.

February 9th

A secret witness in a mask under the pseudonym Petrov recognized Miftakhov as a participant in the rally near the United Russia office. Petrov stated that he recognized the activist by his “expressive eyebrows,” but could not name what Miftakhov was wearing and did not remember the other defendants in the case. In addition, the man explained that he did not report the crime for a year because first his phone died and then he was unable to do so. According to the witness, he decided to contact the police after information about Miftakhov’s arrest appeared in the media.

On the same day, the court extended Miftakhov’s detention for another 72 hours; a preventive measure was not chosen then.

12th of February

The Golovinsky District Court of Moscow arrested the anarchist until March 7. During the meeting, Miftakhov stated that he did not participate in the action with the broken window and denied his guilt.

February, 15

The anarchist was charged with hooliganism committed by a group of people (Part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code).