The Krasnogorsk City Court (Moscow Region) received a case against 35-year-old paramedic Ivan Kolosov for preparing to join the "Freedom of Russia" legion. Information about this was found on the court's website by "Mediazona".
The man is charged with preparation for participation in military actions on the territory of a foreign state for purposes contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation (Part 3 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code with the application of Part 1 of Article 30 of the Criminal Code). According to the official version, he planned to join the legion and fight on the side of Ukraine. At the same time, as Kolosov's acquaintance told Mediazona, the defendant does not admit guilt: the man supported the legion and hung a white-blue-white flag in his room, but did not intend to fight.
Kolosov is against the war. In December 2022, the Zelenograd District Court of Moscow fined him 30 thousand rubles under the article on discrediting the Russian army (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), Mediazona found out. The reason for the fine was the comment: "The ship did not sink, the ship went to hell, because it was a Russian military ship."
Ivan Kolosov is a graduate of the Moscow Cossack Cadet Corps.
The Freedom of Russia Legion is a military unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, formed mainly from Russian prisoners of war and volunteers. In March 2023, the Supreme Court of Russia recognized the organization as "terrorist" and banned its activities. Russians are often brought to administrative responsibility for the symbols used by the legion, including the white-blue-white flag. In March 2023, RAPSI noted that at least 20 criminal cases have been opened in Russia regarding ties to the legion. Such cases are opened under articles on calls for terrorism (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code), sabotage (Article 281 of the Criminal Code), treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code), participation in an armed formation for purposes contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation (Article 208 of the Criminal Code), and cooperation with a foreign state on a confidential basis (Article 275.1 of the Criminal Code). Information about these cases is mainly disseminated by security forces. Their messages often talk about tasks allegedly received by the defendants through correspondence in Telegram: arson, distribution of leaflets or transmission of data. Most often, in such cases, it is only about the intention to commit such actions.
After the war in Ukraine began, the Russian authorities began to react sharply to protest sentiments. The list of articles under which those speaking out against the war are prosecuted is quite broad. The defendants in “anti-war cases” are often charged with hooliganism, vandalism, violence against government officials, and other violations. Articles introduced into the Criminal Code after the start of military action also became a significant element of pressure: the dissemination of “fakes” about the Russian army and discrediting the armed forces. At the moment, more than 950 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protests against the war with Ukraine. More details on this are in our infographic .