A Russian court sentenced Yegor Balazeikin, 17, to six years in a penal colony for attempting to set fire to two military enlistment offices in Kirovsk and St. Petersburg, RFE/RL reported on Nov. 22.
Many military enlistment centers in Russia have been targeted in attempted arson attacks by protestors since Russia launched its full-scale military campaign against Ukraine in 2022.
“I started looking for information on the Internet, followed Meduza… I cannot agree with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, I began to talk with people around me in order to collect information about the military registration and enlistment office. I realized that conversations were useless, and decided that something needed to be done to change the situation.” he told prosecutors.
Balazeikin says Russian security service officers threatened to beat and rape him in custody.
The prosecutor stated that he considered the defendant's age, his state of health, and his confession as circumstances for the sentence.
Balazeikin has already served nine months in pre-trial detention.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
