terrorist organization
According to Interfax’s report, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has satisfied the claim of the Prosecutor General’s Office to recognize the Azov Regiment (an organization banned in Russia) as a terrorist organization. Hearing of the case was held partially behind closed doors due to materials classified as “confidential”. The court explained the operative part of the decision.
In the open part of the process, Alexander Dyukov, Director of the Historical Memory Foundation, journalist and member of the Presidential Human Organization, who presented the work “Neo-Nazism and Terrorism in the Ideology and Activities of the “Azov Movement” in Ukraine, spoke. Rights Council Marina Akhmedova, human rights activist Georgy Volkov and director Maxim Grigoriev, the Research Foundation for Democracy Problems. According to the agency, they collected facts and information about the activities of the Azov and Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donbass.
According to RIA Novosti, Dyukov said that Azov members adhere to neo-Nazi ideology. He also referred to the articles of the founders of the regiment, which, in his opinion, contained signs of “extreme biological racism”, that is, the recognition of people of other races as a different biological species.
In the decision of the Supreme Court, it was stated that “Recognize the Ukrainian paramilitary nationalist unit Azov (other names used are Azov Battalion, Azov Regiment) as a terrorist organization and ban its activities in the territory of the Russian Federation”.
In addition, “The prohibition decision regarding the activities of the organization is subject to immediate execution.”
According to RIA Novosti, the Russian Penal Code punishes members of terrorist organizations in the form of 10 to 20 years in prison. Organizers of such communities are threatened with 15 to 20 years behind bars. However, the law exempts citizens from liability who voluntarily leave the organization before an investigation is initiated and they are detained by law enforcement.
Criminal proceedings
Russia’s Investigative Committee is investigating several criminal cases launched against members of the Azov Regiment.
For example, Alexander Bastrykin, head of RF IC instructed On April 1 of this year, to record and investigate the criminal fact of the Azov regiment, in which a refugee from Mariupol spoke.
According to media reports, neo-Nazis from the Ukrainian Azov regiment killed police officers in Mariupol for the sake of staged photos and videos, in which it was planned to accuse Russian military personnel of committing these crimes. Reported by the Investigative Committee.
Also, on April 22, Bastrykin instructed Central instrument for making a criminal-legal assessment of the testimony of Andrey Biletsky, founder of the Azov Regiment.
“Andriy Biletsky made public the possibility of a strike of the Ukrainian armed forces using the Tochka-U tactical missile system against the participants of the Immortal Regiment regiment planned in Mariupol. At the same time, he described the procession as a provocation of the Ukrainian people and these criminal acts against civilians – an adequate response, ”the message posted on the UK website.
Criminal cases were also brought against Azov members due to the bombing of civilians in Donbass.
During a military special operation in Ukraine, many members of the regiment were captured. In particular, on May 20, Igor Konashenkov, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, said at a briefing that the head of the Russian department, Sergei Shoigu, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin about taking control of the Azovstal territory. captured 2,439 fighters of the Azov regiment and military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the facility and all-time special operations.
Then the commander of the “Azov” Denis Prokopenko was removed from the territory of the factory in a special armored vehicle. As Konashenkov explains, this was done “because of the hatred of the inhabitants of Mariupol and the desire of the townspeople to punish him for numerous atrocities.”
In turn, the head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, repeatedly spoke with Kyiv about the exchange of prisoners. Dozens of Azov fighters, among them, were delivered to Ukraine.
In addition, the Moscow Basmanny Court sentenced a Russian citizen to nine years in absentia for participating in the activities of the Azov regiment on Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported. The court found Anton Korolev guilty under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Mercenary” and “Public appeals for extremist activities”.