Alina Nevmyanova poured green paint into the ballot box during the elections. She claims she was deceived. Here is her testimony in court

She received calls from a “police lieutenant,” a “Central Bank employee,” and an “FSB employee.”

I am not an extremist, not a terrorist, not in the opposition. My family and I sent money to the SVO . My cousin died defending the motherland. It is not true that I agreed to pour out the green paint for money. Everything the prosecution says is not true . I was deceived for several days by scammers and convinced to do this when I was vulnerable.

On March 11, a woman, a "police lieutenant," calls me and asks about loans, but I haven't taken anything out. She suggests punishing criminal bankers and taking out loans. A "Central Bank employee" calls and sends documents stating that a criminal case has been opened. An "FSB employee" says that my sister's ex-husband is trying to steal my money. I don't go to work, I go to Sberbank and take out a loan for 250 thousand. I transfer the money to the "Central Bank employee" and the "FSB employee." On March 12, I take out loans from three more banks, a total of 250 thousand, they won't give me more. On March 13, I take out a microloan for 12 thousand, add 15 thousand of my own and borrow another 15 thousand from my sister.

A new "FSB employee" calls me. He talks about the work of his so-called subordinates and asks if I'm going to the elections. I wasn't going, but he says that I need to go today, March 15, and call an additional task force to the polling station to prevent election fraud. I'm emotionally depressed, the "FSB employee" asks how I am, and I feel bad. "Your problems are not problems, the main thing is to help prevent election fraud," he says.

I am very suggestible, they have been working on me for more than one day, nothing seems suspicious to me anymore. Although I have my doubts. After the call, I go to the pharmacy for some green paint, then to the polling station - and do what I do. I am detained. The "FSB officer" says that he will explain everything to the police himself, I turn off the headphones and he shouts words into the phone that I will not say here. Everything that happened from March 11 to 15 seemed strange to me. I really wanted to shout. I really wanted to share. I really wanted to talk. But they forbade me. They gave me quite convincing arguments. I know that scammers deceive people for large sums, but for some reason I believed them.

This is a rough retelling of Alina Nevmyanova's speech in the Butyrsky District Court of Moscow, based on a publication by Mediazona. Nevmyanova's statements have been slightly edited while preserving the meaning.

Cover photo: "Mediazona"