"We accused that we were planning a coup"

Three Russians were condemned in Georgia for a long time: they distributed tea, napkins and water to protesters

Three Russians received a colony in Georgia for 8.5 years for drug storage. They themselves claim that they are pursued for participating in the mass protests of the Georgian opposition in Tbilisi last fall. The Russians participated as volunteers in the shares, poured tea and handed out wet napkins to the victims of tear gas. All three for their activities received threats.

This text was first published on the website of the Wind project.

Support group and bailiff

On September 12, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Russian citizens Anastasia Zinovkin and Artem Gribul by eight and a half years in prison for drug storage on an especially large scale. And on September 2, Russian Anton Chechin was convicted of a similar case for eight and a half years.

All three convicts do not admit their guilt. Anastasia and Artem claim that the police threw drugs on them, and the case itself is fabricated for political reasons, since they took part in the protests of the Georgian opposition in Tbilisi in the fall of 2024.

Hundreds of people in Georgia followed the hearings, a large support group came to court, including Russian and Georgian activists, social activists and ordinary citizens.

After the announcement of the verdict Zinovkina and Gribulil, a brawl began in the courtroom, and the bailiffs brought the listeners by force. One of them, the Russian blogger, the author and the leading YouTube channel "U-turn" Anton Rubin, the bailiff literally choked .

- When the verdict of Anastasia and Artem was announced, the hall was a bit. And after the announcement of the sentence, we began to be actively withdrawn from the hall. We all went out in an organized manner and stopped in the lobby to exchange impressions. I wanted to wait for the lawyer, to understand what happened - the verdict was announced in the Georgian language, according to outraged exclamations, I realized that he was an accusatory, but how much they gave, I did not know. And at that moment, the bailiffs began to expel us from the hall. I began to ask what right. And when I was already in the vestibule at the exit, the bailiff pulled me from the exit to the wall, clamped in the corner and began to strangle, ”Rubin told the wind.

According to him, he turned to police officers who were on duty near the court, and informed them of the attack.

- They said, one minute, now we will return - and we have not seen them anymore. At this time, one of the Georgian publics very quickly published a video of attacks on social networks. I downloaded the video on the phone, we went to another police car, they photographed a few damage to my neck. They took him to the police station, accepted the application, but said: since my statement about the unlawful behavior of civil servants, the case will be referred to the prosecutor's office. On September 22, I will go to the prosecutor's office. Although the locals say that it is useless, all at the same time. No one believes in justice, ”says Anton.

Neutral witnesses ate lobiani

Since November 2024, after large -scale street protests of the opposition began in the capital of Georgia, at least six of their participants on charges of storing or distributing drugs were arrested. In addition to Russians, three Georgian citizens were also arrested. Among them were TV presenter Nick Kazius, resuscitator Georgy Ahobadze and Tedo Abramov, who came from Greece to visit his grandmother. In August 2025, all three were justified .

- These things are very similar. They have the same investigators. And the same script. They are all delayed near the house, and they are thrown by drugs right in the car,

- says the Georgian lawyer Zinovkina and Gribul Daria Samodurova.

According to her, the only difference between the three Russian affairs and Georgian affairs is in the affairs of Anastasia, Artem and Anton the so -called “neutral witnesses” - translators who were present during searches. This status can be compared with the status of a witness in Russian legislation, notes Samodurova. In court, they testified against Zinovkina, Gribul and Chechin. However, the defense believes that translators are associated with the investigation.

- Why do I consider these people not neutral? Anton Chechin had a translator of Shuren Tabatadze, who then participated in Anastasia Zinovkina. It was brought to the process by the investigator. And they are both, and the translator and investigator, they say that they are on friendly relations, live nearby. At the trial, Zinovkina and Gribul in general had a humorous picture. Investigators said that they, together with the translators before they were called on business, "sat and ate Lobiani." Here is the first factor that these people are not objective, ”the lawyer noted.

She calls the translators involved in the case.

- One of them spoke at the court of Artem Gribul that she did not see from what pocket these so -called narcotic substances got from him. The second witness, who was an translator with Anastasia Zinovkina, was generally confused where she was sitting in the car, and it is not clear whether she could see something, especially, it was dark. At least the judge had to take into account these circumstances, pay attention to all inconsistencies. But instead, for eight years he sent innocent people to prison, ”emphasizes Samodurov.

“When I was just starting to follow the case, I had no idea whether Anastasia, Artem and Anton were guilty,” says Rubin. - I did not know these people, and theoretically it could be assumed that they could take drugs. But over time, we went to meetings, got acquainted in detail with the case. And it became clear that all this is a setup, too many inconsistencies. Many procedural violations, but God with them. And there are gross violations. One of the examples - during the search and detention of Anastasia and Artem, all the chambers of the registrars on employees were turned off. Throw what you want. When removing the convolution with drugs, the policeman opened it directly onto the camera, and then packed it and sent it to the examination. And the expert describes that he received a completely stifled bundle, not damaged. And there are a lot of such mistakes.

“Anton Chechin shared the details of his detention with us: repeated inspection without witnesses and without incident breast chambers; The way he took his jacket and, returning it to him, “found” drugs in it - already in the presence of the translator, which the charge subsequently issued as understood. Sud resolved doubts in favor of the prosecution. We observed the same thing in the case of other protests in Georgia, persecuted under anti -drug articles, ” said Denis Krivosheev, deputy director of Amnesty International for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

"I wanted to protect Georgia, since I could not protect Russia"

In Tbilisi, shares are held in support of Russian prisoners. Participants in the shares gather near the Transfer Bureau, where those same translators work who testified against convicts.

- On September 18, I arranged an action near the company where these translators work. I believe that they acted hand in hand with the prosecutor's office. When false witnesses are needed, they are always taken from this bureau of translations, ”the wife of Anton Chechin Manana Samharadze tells the“ wind ”.

Anton Chechin is from Barnaul. In Russia, he actively participated in protests, including in support of the politician Alexei Navalny. After one of the rallies, Chechin was fined, but he was able to challenge the fine in the ECHR. In April 2022, Anton moved to Tbilisi, here he met Manana, soon they got married.

Chechin got a job as a courier, later worked in a coffee shop. In Georgia, he also participated in street actions. And on May 1, 2024, he received a fine of 2200 Lari (about $ 815) for knocking on fences at the parliament after the adoption of the law on "foreign agents" in Georgia.

- When he only arrived in Georgia, he helped the Ukrainians, was a volunteer of one of the organizations. And then, on protests, he helped the victims of gas to approach the ambulance. He said that he wanted to protect this country, since he could not protect the Russian Federation,

- says Manana.

On November 18, 2024, Chechina was detained at a street campaign near Tbilisi State University.

- He saw how people in black take pictures of everyone to finish. He began to take a picture in response to divert attention. He was surrounded, put in a car, taken to the parking of the department. But they did not get into the department. They asked about his work, about my work, they said that he would not go to stocks, otherwise they would be beaten off. And they let go, they didn’t even give the protocol about the detention, although he asked, ”Manana recalls.

On December 3, Anton went to work in a coffee shop, but in the courtyard of the house he was again detained.

- He thought that it would be the same as last time, got into the car with them. He was hit the ankle, on his face, searched. They said to take off the jacket, then they gave them, they said to put on. After that, the main investigator got into the car, then they began to search again and found drugs in the jacket pocket. Then they put a translator next to Anton, ”says Chechin's wife.

“As soon as they got a package (from a jacket), a translator Shoren in a car village. She immediately said that I was accused of storing and selling drugs, threatened with a long prison term. I answered her that I had no drugs and this package has never seen. She said that “all you say that” and I will have problems if I do not admit. After the investigator filled out the protocol, she said that I should sign it. I replied that it was not my package and I would not sign anything, because I do not agree with it. To which she replied that there would be problems. Then the department was an interrogation that did not affect the topic of drugs. And there were questions and accusations only about my participation in protests. They accused that I have a group with which we plan to make a coup d'etat in Georgia, ”Anton said in one of the letters (the editorial office is at the disposal).

According to the investigation, Chechin had about 4 grams of alpha-ROVP synthetic drug with him. According to Manana, Anton never dealt with drugs, and also did not drink or smoke. Since December, it has been in a tight chamber of pre -trial detention center, where there are still four besides it.

- Anton's cyst has in my head, it increased in prison. Because of this, constant headaches, he cannot sleep. The heart hurts. He cannot breathe normally due to sinusitis. There is a very small window, there is almost no air in a small chamber, and there are a lot of people. Very bad water, it is impossible to order food in the store, ”says Manana.

According to her, Anton wanted to stay in Georgia. Today in Tbilisi it is supported by social activists and activists.

- When the government uses violence, beats its citizens and unfairly puts them in prison only because they do not want to live in a country where violence is the norm, this is no longer the internal affair of one country. I want to say to all people: no one should turn a blind eye to violence and unfair conclusions. And we respect those who are not from our country and could escape, but instead decided to help us. This is not a question of “not my business” when such a nightmare occurs, ”says Manana.

"Look at what bad ones have arrived"

Anastasia Zinovkin and Artem Gribul since 2022 lived in Armenia, and in 2024 they moved to Tbilisi, as they considered Georgia safer for Russians. 31-year-old Zinovkin in Russia regularly entered anti-government actions and delayed several times in administrative cases, for disobedience to the police and petty hooliganism.

In Tbilisi, they also went to street opposition protests, but as volunteers - helped other protesters, brought them tea and coffee, washed their eyes to the victims of the tearful gas that the police used.

- Of the Russian citizens, no one seriously took part in protests. The maximum was the volunteer groups-they distributed water, wet wipes to clean their eyes, ”Priest Grigory Mikhnov-Vyatenko tells the“ wind ”. In September, he was able to visit the prisons where Russian prisoners are located.

During and after protest in the fall of 2024, about six hundred people were detained in Georgia. They grabbed everyone in a row and the majority let go. The story of the detention of Russians “sewn white threads,” says the clergyman.

-The plot looks like this: people are delayed on the street, then they go home and find some substances at home. Absolutely the same, under the carbon car. Apparently, a serious idea was to show: here they arrived, they trade in drugs, although there was no trade in the prosecution, but, apparently, it was implied.

Here, look how bad. But the opposite situation turned out. Georgian civilian activists really supported all three, this is extremely important, ”says Mikhnov-Vyatenko.

Anastasia and Artem were detained on December 17, 2024 near their house in the Tbilisi district of Sababurnal. They searched their pockets and, according to young people and their lawyers, did not find prohibited substances during the initial search. But after some time, the security forces conducted another examination of the detainees' clothes, during which drugs “appeared” in their pockets. They were accused of storing 16 grams of alpha-PVP.

However, the story of searches raises many questions, as the lawyer Samodurova says:

- There are a lot of inconsistencies that the court did not take into account. In the video with the search of the apartment of Anastasia and Artem ( I mean a video from the case materials that the police were shot during the search; the lawyer saw him when she got acquainted with the case. - Approx. Ed. ) The most interesting was in the 29th minute-when another person was unexpectedly discovered in the bathroom. When they went to search this bathroom, everyone was visible in the video, who should be in the apartment by the protocol. And when they approached the bathroom, it turned out that there was another person who should not be in the apartment. We did not see who it was, they immediately removed the camera. But the fact that it was an extra person is 100 percent.

"They locked and wait until I die"

The prisoners have been in Tbilisi colonies for almost a year. Artem and Anton - in the pre -trial detention center of the penitentiary institution No. 8 (Gldan prison), Anastasia Zinovkin - in the Rustavskaya women's prison. She repeatedly complained in letters to friends about the conditions of detention in the conclusion and state of her health.

- In a letter, she wrote that her hands were numb, that it was difficult for her to write answers to letters. She complained about health that she feels bad, but there is no normal examination and treatment. The conditions of the content are also bad. Souls are laid in a women's prison twice a week, but often there is no water, and therefore this is not observed. A boiled carrot is put in full food, and Nastya has an allergy to it, so she eats almost nothing. In the prison store, drinking water constantly disappears, ”the acquaintance of Anastasia, a member of the organization“ Left Socialist Action ”Nikolai Caucasian, tells the“ wind ”. He also believes that the case against Russians is fabricated.

- There are neither fingerprints, nor the biological material of Nastya on what was thrown to her. At the same time, there are a bunch of violations - during the search, the police officer disappeared from the frame. They quickly found a bundle, although a bunch of places - neither on the balcony or under the bed - they did not look. But as far as I know, Nastya never used drugs, ”Nikolay notes.

In the last word, in court, Anastasia Zinovkina said she was experiencing constant back pain:

“For nine months, they could not diagnose me normally. My back hurts, my arms and legs go numb. I stand on ships because I'm afraid that my vertebra, neck will get my own, and I will fall and will not get up. Three months ago I was taken to the 18th hospital. There they were prescribed physiotherapy. But the letter from the hospital is magically lost. I was not only not shown by a neurosurgeon, as the doctor recommended. I was refused even such a little help as physiotherapy. I am not allowed to order an orthopedic pillow and medicine in the store. This is called "buried alive." They locked me and wait until I die. Do not wait. "

She also talked about the conditions of detention in a women's prison:

“Girls are in terrible conditions. We do not even dream about freedom there, but about conditions, as in a male prison in Gldani. To be shown to the doctors so that we can buy medicines, so that there is fresh food in the store.

In the cells of a women's prison, about nine square meters there are four beds, a table, a bench, a bedside table - and girls have nowhere to walk. They just lie for nine months. Prison is a torture machine that destroys your women. Shower twice a week for 10 minutes. I have been red spots on my body for two months, and ten more girls have the same, ”she said.

At the trial, Zinovkina said that the authorities of Georgia, according to the far -fetched preposition, were not allowed into the country of her mother, keeping the woman at the airport for two days. And she stated that she announced a hunger strike with the request to free Anton Chechin and Artem Gribul. Artem joined the hunger strike. Now, as Mikhnov-Vitenko says, the guys took off the hunger strike.

- There are problems - they have a number of chronic diseases, their condition is not perfect. But the moral state is good. They are collected, aimed at appeal, at appeal in international instances. They are not going to give up, categorically disagree with the charge, ”says the clergyman.

The difficulty of the situation is that the prisoners are completely isolated, relatives and friends are not allowed to them, Mikhnov-Vitenko notes. Communication in a Georgian prison without knowledge of a language is impossible.

- In Georgia, the penitentiary system works exclusively in Georgian. Either urgently learn the Georgian language that the guys are trying to do, or there is nothing to do. Employees in Russian speak badly, in English too. And numerous internal documents are all exclusively in Georgian. Ordering a stall - bring a list on eight pages in small print in Georgian. And that's it, hello. The fact that the employee will deign will translate. And if not, then that's it. Today there are problems with transmissions, letters come only paper, ”Mikhnov-Vitenko explains.

Могут ли их экстрадировать в Россию?

По данным «Медиазоны», на акциях в Тбилиси в ноябре-декабре прошлого года было задержано не менее 15 граждан России. Трое россиян получили аресты от 10 до 13 суток, двое — штрафы от 2700 до 3000 лари (примерно 1000–1100 долларов), еще одного россиянина выдворили с территории Грузии в Армению.

— Арест Анастасии, Артема и Антона — это политическое решение. Да, ребята ходили на акции протеста. Помогали, медицинскую помощь оказывали, кофе раздавали. Я до сих пор не могу понять, почему власти такую сильную угрозу увидели в них. Опасных действий ребята не совершали. А если бы что-то такое и сделали, то, может быть, их посадили бы, как тех ребят, которым по два года дали, — за сопротивление полиции, — отмечает Самодурова. — Сегодня наше нелегальное правительство идет по курсу России, поэтому акции протеста продолжаются. Никто не хочет в Советский Союз, никто не хочет России. Все хотят в Европу, все хотят прогресса, будущего.

По ее словам, защита будет оспаривать приговор. «Самый суровый приговор — по делу Антона Чечина ( эти слова были опубликованы до приговора Анастасии Зиновкиной и Артема Грибуля. — Прим. ред. ). Сам Антон сказал, что за этим делом может стоять интерес и требование России. Надеюсь, его не экстрадируют в Россию. У нас будет отдельная борьба по этому поводу», — заявила глава Центра социальной справедливости Тамта Микеладзе после оглашения приговора Антону Чечину.

Как пишут местные СМИ, грузинские правозащитные организации до сих пор не получили информацию от Минюста Грузии о возможной экстрадиции осужденных в Россию. Известно, что с 2017 года по июль 2022 года Российская Федерация обращалась к Грузии 33 раза с ходатайством об экстрадиции своих граждан. В 29 случаях Грузия удовлетворила запросы. После 2022 года информация об экстрадированных заключенных стала закрытой.

Автор: Юлия Парамонова