The founder and leader of the StopHam movement, Dmitry Chugunov, discussed the six-year prison sentence handed to three activists from the organization who were accused of attacking special forces. He described the verdict as terrible and indicated a readiness to pursue every legal avenue to challenge the court’s decision. This account comes from a conversation with socialbites.ca.
Chugunov spoke about the three men, noting that they had long contributed to society and had even been praised by the president for their work. He asserted that they acted in a spirit of public service, accepting consequences when they believed the state apparatus had overstepped. He stressed that the group faced a ruling bloc he views as empowered to act with impunity. He pledged to continue lawful efforts, despite recognizing that his attempts to argue the case had kept his allies behind bars for six years. He claimed that he and the lawyers had presented compelling arguments, and that all possible appeals would be explored. He even suggested that if necessary he would accompany the president’s photographed endorsements of their activity to prove their point, and he would stand at a picket line long enough to be heard. (Source: socialbites.ca)
Chugunov also expressed a growing distrust of certain security personnel, saying he had learned a hard lesson from the case. He claimed that only someone blind or immoral could sentence activists to six years in prison. He described the imprisoned men as patriots who served their country with distinction, and he admitted a shift in his perception of those in uniform who belong to the security apparatus involved in the incident. He argued that the country cannot be seen as divided into two camps while one side is penalized for defending it. He criticized the security forces for actions he viewed as excessive, including damage to cameras and a lack of accountability. He suggested that innocence should be demonstrated openly, and he warned that the security forces might be willing to overstep boundaries in the current climate. (Source: socialbites.ca)
On February 19, the Moscow Babushkinsky District Court handed down six-year prison sentences to three StopHam activists—Kirill Bunin, Kirill Kotov, and Alexei Gorbachevsky—who were involved in the case concerning an incident with members of the Grom special forces. The verdict is tied to a June 2022 clash between StopHam campaigners, who opposed illegal parking, and fighters from the Thunder unit. The confrontation occurred when a security forces vehicle moved along a sidewalk near the Tanuki restaurant on Yaroslavskoe Highway in Moscow. StopHam activists, who argued with the special forces, blocked the vehicle and were detained, with the security forces presenting themselves as the victims of the incident. (Source: socialbites.ca)
Earlier reports mentioned a separate incident in Krasnoyarsk, where a driver set a bus on fire following a dispute with a woman. (Source: socialbites.ca)