The threat of attack: how the police use the Fortress plan against lawyers

After the march against fabricated affairs on June 12, defenders could not get into some departments: the police announced the Fortress plan. Allegedly, there is a threat of attacking the police department and no one can be allowed. The Fortress plan is often used during mass shares so as not to let the defenders to the detainees. OVD-Info understands whether it is legitimate and how to resist this.

Temporary isolation

“I could not leave the police department, because, apparently, the police were scared of support groups and introduced the Fortress plan. The Rosgvardets with machine guns did not miss anyone, ” said the activist of“ unlimited protest ”from St. Petersburg, detained last fall with his associates.

“They introduced the Fortress plan and everyone who was in the department, including the young man who came to write a statement that he had stolen a passport, and some man who was detained for a fight-everyone brought to the assembly hall. They were held for about an hour, then they gradually began to breed, ”said journalist Alexander Zubov, who was detained in Omsk for shares against pension reform on September 9.

“I spent five or six hours in handcuffs. In handcuffs, I was taken to the hospital. With chained hands, a tomogram of the brain was made. The lawyer, of course, was not allowed: they said: the plan is “fortress” ” - from the story of the Krasnodar lawyer Mikhail Benyash, also detained before the action on September 9th.

“Fortress” is a plan that is introduced for a real threat or for educational purposes. In theory, the entrance and access to the building is completely blocked, and the personnel holds the defense. Higher leadership either initiates the plan, or at least knows about its introduction. The actions of employees during the "fortress" are regulated by state secret.

But despite the fact that the Fortress plan is an extraordinary measure, lawyers regularly face it, trying to get to the detained activists.

- According to ordinary detentions, police officers can simply tighten the time, promising to skip. And in the days of rallies and mass shares, as a rule, they announce the Fortress plan and prohibit access to the departments. We cannot get to the client. We call up with colleagues - this situation happens throughout Moscow, ”says lawyer Mikhail Biryukov.

According to his experience, they do so that the lawyers “do not interfere” with the conversations with the detainees. Before the defenders are allowed, the employees of the EC center, the Investigative Committee or the FSB are talking with activists.

“None of my colleagues saw the normative acts regulating the introduction of this plan, we can judge it only in accordance with the coordinated statements of the police officers of different areas of Moscow,” says Biryukov.

"Fortress" is used not only against political detainees. For example, they also acted in the Moscow ATS “Kitay-Gorod” in the summer of 2017, when they delivered Umar Dzhabrailov, the Chechen oligarch, detained for shooting from a pistol at the ceiling at the hotel. The police decided in this way to fence off from the too persistent fellow countrymen Dzhabrailov.

Training cover

“I don’t quite understand what rallies have to do with it.” This plan is introduced when attacking the internal affairs department, real or conditional, ”the interlocutor of the OTS-info, a former policeman, is surprised. During the service in the North Caucasus, he answered, including for actions in the conditions of the Fortress plan.

Then the security forces suppressed the formations of the Imrat Caucasus. Armed clashes regularly took place in the region, and the defense of the police were a quite practical task.

- Employees receive weapons and special equipment, means of communication and individual protection - helmets, body armor, gas masks. Then the defense and fire of fire are advanced to pre -established lines of defense. Regardless of whether the training is a signal or real, ”says a former policeman. - The plan is provided for attacks, and then indeed the access of strangers to the department stops, even “their own” enters through the spare exits. The “fortress” can also be introduced by the educational - I think that after rallies they do so. We call it “game of war”. The boss’s favorite fun, when he has nothing to do or want to tighten the personnel.

The interlocutor of the ATS-Info notes that if the “fortress” is educational, then there must be a plan of exercises. But, according to him, to deviate from the plan "not a problem." In addition, citizens will not be able to receive information about such exercises without admission to GOSTYNA.

How is the training “fortress”, when it is not introduced after detention at rallies, one of the users of the Vladivostok Automobile Forum Drom:

“For personal circumstances, our family of three (together with a half -year -old baby) had the opportunity to“ play ”today with adult uncles and aunts in a very funny and interesting game called“ Fortress ”plan. Finishing communication with the investigator, we heard on the loudspeaker that near school No. “...” there were single shots. The investigator’s irony left the hope: we were warned that we needed to run away, and the better. Having stumbled the sleeping baby in a jacket, we rushed to the exit, but we did not let us in the uncle in armor and very dusty. Casket said: “Until the“ fortress ”will be removed. We were sent to the second floor, to the chairs. The fact that our “pepper” wants to eat did not listen. ”

The narrator with his wife and the child sat for an hour in the corridor of the police department, observing the constructions of the police in the courtyard of the police department. All rooms were closed, they did not let anyone out or released anyone.

“What struck? The fact that civilians rotted rotten in the corridors - shoot, they are not a pity, the main thing is the security of employees! " He adds.

How to fight

In January 2018, four lawyers waited several hours at the entrance to the Danilovsky police department. In the department were supporters of Alexei Navalny, who were delivered after a search in the Foundation for the fight against corruption (FBK). Lawyers were not allowed, referring to the plan "fortress". At the same time, people entered the department and came out of it. Including - pizza pedestrian.

Lawyers complained about this to the prosecutor's office and the Investigative Committee. As the OVD-INFO in the FBK told, in response to complaints, unsubscribes came.

Unlike colleagues, the lawyer Anastasia Samorukovamanaged to get a search in the FBK, and then in the Danilovsky police department.

“I have a certificate in a kind of cover. Colleagues go with [covers] “Lawyer Improvement”, and my friend just bought a “certificate” in the crossing. I waved this “certificate”, made an unpleasant face, the cops were afraid to stop me, did not look at the documents, ”the lawyer says.

The vice-president of the Russian Law Chamber Henry Reznik notes that this practice of applying the “Fortress” plan is a violation of the constitutional right to defense.

-We (the lawyer chamber of Moscow- OTD-Info ) are reacting to this, with varying success. We send letters to the prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so that this disgrace stops. After our complaints, this plan is not used, for example, six months. Then again, ”says Reznik.

He adds that lawyers must send complaints to every similar case.