Lawyer: 61-year-old Belgorod volunteer who helped Ukrainian refugees is not being prosecuted under the article of treason

No criminal case for treason was brought against 61-year-old volunteer Alexander Demidenko from the Belgorod region, who helped Ukrainian refugees (Article 275 of the Criminal Code). The man’s defender, Elena Palymova, told Mediazona about this.

Now Demidenko is in a Belgorod pre-trial detention center on charges of illegal possession of explosives (Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code). On November 20, the “We Can Explain” project, with reference to the son of a volunteer , reported that a second criminal case had been opened against Alexander Demidenko - this time under the article of treason. The son referred to his father’s letter dated November 16, in which he said that the treason case was related to the accusation of transferring “secret information” to Ukrainians.

After the publication of “We Can Explain,” my son wrote that he “did something stupid.” According to him, he “hurried to give the materials to journalists, with a request not to publish them yet.”

“No, we do not confirm this information. At the moment, we do not have information about the initiation of a criminal case,” Palymova’s lawyer told Mediazona. “Moreover, our client himself does not know that there is some kind of criminal case for treason.” So far we have not been informed about this: neither to him, nor to us. Yesterday the lawyer visited him. There is no resolution to initiate a criminal case. Perhaps there is some verification material.”

According to her, such a criminal case is definitely “not on paper yet.” At least, neither the defense nor Demidenko himself know about this.

“There are rumors, and then, as soon as we see some information, we will make a decision. We hope it won't happen. We really hope so,” the defender concluded.

In mid-October, Belgorod volunteers said that their comrade Alexander Demidenko disappeared after he tried to escort an elderly woman with an onological disease to a Ukrainian checkpoint. Later it became known that Demidenko was arrested for ten days in an administrative case for drinking alcohol in prohibited places (Part 2 of Article 20.20 of the Administrative Code).

Then, on November 1, the Shebekinsky District Court of the Belgorod Region sent Alexander Demidenko to a pre-trial detention center. According to the investigation, he “kept explosive devices at his home.” The volunteer himself insisted that he found the explosives and did not have time to hand them over to the police. “We Can Explain” published a photograph of Demidenko after his arrest - traces of beatings are visible on it.