2024-04-11 20:25:28
I. Girkinas announced his desire to go to war from prison during the court hearing. The terrorist’s wife, Miroslava Reginskaja, reported to Telegram that one of the military units stationed in the so-called “DNR” territory allegedly agreed to sign a contract with I. Girkin and appoint him as the unit commander.
In May, the court will consider an appeal against the sentence. The lawyer hopes that the court will agree to annul the sentence against V. Girkin on the condition that he goes to the front.
However, as UNIAN writes, according to current Russian law, persons convicted of “extremist articles” cannot serve in the armed forces.
“When a country is going through a severe military conflict, it is a crime to prevent an officer and patriot with unique experience and knowledge in the military field from going to the front. However, this is the fatal mistake made by the authorities, who sent Igor Strelkov to prison on political charges of extremism,” said the Russian’s wife.
Girkin was arrested last year and charged with “extremism” after months of public attacks on Russian military leaders and President Vladimir Putin, whom he blamed for not taking a more aggressive offensive against Ukraine.
In his last posts on social media before his arrest, I. Girkin called V. Putin an “old idiot” and declared that “the country will not survive another six years of this cowardly mediocrity’s rule.” For months, the authorities tolerated his scathing criticism, posted daily on social media in hours-long videos, at a time when liberal opponents of the Kremlin who opposed the war in Ukraine were given harsh prison terms.
Last year, a Dutch court sentenced I. Girkin in absentia to life imprisonment for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Eastern Ukraine in 2014. in July
A missile launched from separatist-controlled territory hit the plane, killing all 298 people on board. The Kremlin has always denied involvement in this crime and refused to extradite I. Girkin to the Netherlands.
He left eastern Ukraine shortly after the downing of the Malaysian airliner, became an ultra-nationalist blogger and supporter of the so-called Novorossiya ideology, which Russia uses to justify its seizure of vast areas of Ukraine.
When Russia in 2022 February 24 attacked Ukraine, I. Girkin called to occupy the entire country and achieve a “quick and decisive victory”. But soon he had to be bitterly disappointed, because it could not be done. He accused Russia of “huge mistakes” and became a staunch critic of Moscow’s offensive. He called for restructuring Russia’s entire political system according to the requirements of the war and mobilizing more people and resources for the campaign in Ukraine.
2024-04-11 20:25:28