A plea deal. Opportunity or deception?

During the investigation of the case, the accused will most likely be asked to enter into a cooperation agreement. Admit guilt, give the necessary testimony, and you will receive a shorter sentence. Is a plea deal as tempting as it seems at first glance? What are the disadvantages and is it possible to refuse this offer without harming yourself?

1

What conditions are required for the transaction?

The legal name for a plea deal is a pre-trial cooperation agreement. It assumes:

• admission of guilt
• assistance in the investigation of a crime:
  • assistance in collecting evidence and searching for property obtained as a result of a crime;
  • reporting information about a crime unknown to investigators;
  • giving evidence in a criminal case.

2

What does a motion for a pre-trial agreement look like?

The document contains:

• date and place of its preparation;
• the name of the prosecutor as the second party to the agreement;
• Full name, date and place of birth of the suspect/accused;
• description of the crime;
• the article of the Criminal Code under which the case was initiated;
• a description of how the accused or suspect intends to assist the investigation;
• mitigating circumstances, if any (for example, young children);
• signature of the accused/suspect and his defense attorney.

The prosecutor may either agree to grant the request for a deal or refuse it.

3

Advantages of a pre-trial agreement

• the investigator and the court need to work less;
• the detection of crimes is increasing;
• the court cannot assign you more than ½ of the maximum sentence;
• the case will be considered in a special manner - without examining the evidence. This means the verdict will be handed down very quickly.

4

Disadvantages of a pre-trial agreement

• the prosecution may terminate the agreement on pre-trial cooperation, citing its violation (incomplete testimony, reporting only information known to the investigation, etc.);
• a pre-trial agreement is another opportunity to put pressure on you: the prosecution will demand more and more new testimony, under such pressure you can incriminate innocent people;
• if the case is considered in a special manner, it will be impossible to appeal the deadline;
• The sooner the verdict is passed, the less time you will spend in jail. If your article suggests that you can count one day in a pre-trial detention center for 1.5 days in a colony, then it is in your interests to spend as much time as possible in the pre-trial detention center.

5

Is it possible to refuse a pre-trial agreement?

Yes - even after it is concluded. According to the law, there is no punishment for refusal. But in practice, the prosecution can make your life worse in a pre-trial detention center - prohibit calls and visits from relatives, transfer you to a cell with prisoners who will mock you, etc.

6

Should you agree to a plea deal?

The lawyers of the “First Department” strongly recommend weighing both the pros and the risks, discussing all the nuances with the defense lawyer and answering the question of how to continue to live if the investigators imprison a person you know through your hands.

7

Which of the prisoners made the agreement and what did it lead to?

• political scientist Demuri Voronin , who signed a pre-trial agreement in April 2021. According to the case materials, the condition of Voronin’s pre-trial agreement was to expose journalist Ivan Safronov, and the indictment states that, according to Voronin’s testimony, he, “working for a foreign intelligence service, attracted Safronov to this activity.” According to Voronin himself, he did not testify against the journalist, but only confirmed his acquaintance with him. At the same time, FSB investigator Alexander Chaban in June 2021, that is, a year before the end of the trial, told him the exact term to which Ivan Safronov would be sentenced - 22 years. And so it happened. Voronin himself received a sentence of 13 years and 3 months in prison, and was released as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange on August 2, 2024. After his release, he gavean interview to the Agency.
• defendant in the “Tyumen case” Kirill Brik. In 2022, six anarchists and anti-fascists were arrested in Yekaterinburg, Surgut and Tyumen. According to investigators, the defendants planned to carry out bombings of military registration and enlistment offices and police departments, and sabotage on railways along which trains with Russian military equipment travel to Ukraine. The defendants alleged cruel torture with electric shock and water, beatings and threats in order to obtain confessions. One of them, Kirill Brik, signed a pre-trial agreement. According to the support group for the defendants, Brik slandered his accomplices. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison, and he is already serving his sentence. Based on Brik's testimony, the remaining defendants are now being tried. Almost everyone faces 15 to 30 years in prison, and Nikita Oleinik faces a life sentence. In May 2026, journalists and the public were no longer allowed to attend meetings on the Tyumen case. Hearings began to be held behind closed doors due to the “increased terrorist threat” and the publication of court reviews in “banned media.”
• physicist Alexander Kuranov, who was involved in the development of the Ajax hypersonic aircraft. The FSB detained Kuranov in August 2021. According to investigators, he transferred scientific developments that constitute state secrets to foreign intelligence services. Kuranov entered into a pre-trial cooperation agreement, thanks to which the case was examined in two sessions and he was sentenced to seven years - this is five years less than the minimum term under the article on “high treason.” Part of the “deal” was testimony against scientist Alexander Maslov, who was later sentenced to 14 years in prison. Other colleagues of Maslov and Kuranov were also detained on charges of “treason,” including Dmitry Kolker, who died in a pre-trial detention center immediately after his arrest.