Father and children

An entrepreneur and political prisoner Dmitry Skurikhin was released from a colony near St. Petersburg, he has five children

Hardly losing weight, short -cut and completely shaved, in a prison robe and cap, with a huge bag and package Dmitry Skurikhin left the correctional colony No. 5 in Metallostroy (village near St. Petersburg) today at exactly 11.00.

In the FSIN system, it is not customary to report the exact time of liberation, only the date. Therefore, relatives and acquaintances were waiting for Dima at the gates of IR No. 5 from 10 in the morning and were ready to spend here, if necessary, all day. Tatyana, the wife of Skurikhina, took a day off at work. But everything happened much faster than expected.

Not all those who met immediately recognized Skurikhin. The Russian colony can change the appearance of a person. But only appearance. A confident step, straight back, a peppy team voice, an infectious smile of a brave person - special signs that Dmitry cannot be taken from.

The wife was the first to rush to meet, then one of the older daughters - Ulyana (the Skurikhins have five children), he kissed and hugged both and only then greeted those who came to meet him. He thanked for support for many months. He said with a grin: “Now, now I have such a certificate that I have left the deadline.” He explained that it was allowed to take prison clothes, released from the colony, which he did.

The meeting was emotional, bright, joyful, but short. Tatyana Skurikhina warned the day before: “At the colony gate, not the best place for congratulations and conversations” - and invited everyone to visit everyone, not on the first day of her husband’s liberation.

“He still lived for almost a year in a margin from reality,” Tanya explained to “New”. - He needs to look around, understand what he is on. In addition, in recent weeks, on Dima’s dates, I constantly told me that he was bored with her daughters, that he needs to be with children at first.

Skurikhin apologized for not paying much attention to reporters and acquaintances, would not answer questions. Hurrying to children. Really wants to spend time with relatives.

“The family missed, but I missed it! My wife brought me a photo of a photo, and I did not recognize my youngest child! Well, what is it? "

Skurikhin laughed, got into the car and, together with his wife and daughter, drove home to the village of Ropsha (Lomonosovsky district of the Leningrad region).

The younger daughters were waiting for her father’s houses (the oldest, Natalia, married and lives separately)-13-year-old twins Polina and Olesya and 11-year-old Sveta. Children's happiness is difficult to convey in words, but I suspect that this is the greatest happiness in the world. Sometimes to tears.

Polina could not restrain herself and, when she met her father, burst into tears, although, according to her mother, she planned to hold on.

Recall that the entrepreneur and activist 49-year-old Dmitry Skurikhin spent almost a year in correctional colony No. 5. Although on August 3 last year the Lomonosovsky District Court sentenced him to one and a half years of real imprisonment. But taking into account the time spent in jail, I had to sit less.

Skurikhina was accused of repeated discrediting the Russian army (part 1 of article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: “Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the RF Armed Forces in order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens, to maintain international world and security outside Russia”).

For the first time, Dmitry openly opposed a special military operation on March 6, 2022. In his telegram channel, he posted a video in which he made a short speech. In the background, behind Skurikhin’s back, three posters hung with photographs of the tragic consequences of hostilities. Then the police officers drew up a protocol on Part 1 of Art. 20.3.3 Administrative Code of the Russian Federation ("Discreditation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation"). Two months later, the court appointed him a fine of 45 thousand rubles - the most strict punishment under this article. But this did not frighten and did not stop Skurikhin.

In August 2022, on the building of the store owned by him in the Russian-Vysotsky, the rural activist hung a pacifist banner. And on February 24, 2023, he knelt at the store with a poster. Neither during the investigation, nor in court, Dmitry admitted his guilt.

“I realized my right to freedom of speech, to call my freedom Black Black,” Skurikhin said in his last word in court before the sentence.

Dmitry is convinced that he had a legal right to express his civil position, and did not discredit the Russian army in any way. The lawyers of the accused appealed the court decision and more than once emphasized that even the experts involved in the investigation did not find discrediting signs in the words of Dmitry. However, it was not possible to cancel or mitigate the verdict sent to the father of five children. He left his term from call to call.

Irina Koplanova , especially for "New"