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A 48-year-old, Aleksey Bykov, was sentenced to this term under the article on justification of terrorism, reports “Word to the Defence.”
The case was initiated because of messages in the chat “Russia Will Be Free.” These included calls to join the RDK and described its activities, including a raid in Bryansk region, west Russia.
Bykov was detained in February. According to his relatives, FSB officers beat him during a search and threatened to “hand him over” to participants in the war. In court, the St Petersburg resident said:
“After the beating, my genitals turned black, there were bruises on my thighs, the left side of my ribs hurt a lot. For about three weeks, it was difficult to lie down and sleep. Both sides of my face were bruised, I had ringing in one ear and was hard of hearing, my right eye filled with blood and when I looked at something it was as if black spots or ink were floating in front of it. The eye still hasn’t recovered fully, now I can only see half as well with it.
I experienced all the democracy and freedom of speech in Russia with almost my whole body, and also understood what the ‘Russian world’ is and why others absolutely do not want it.”
Bykov’s relatives say that under pressure from law enforcement, he said on camera that he was against the war and read a text from a piece of paper. He also signed blank sheets. The St Petersburg resident complied with their demands, believing promises that he would only receive a fine.
According to Bykov, the case was initiated after a tip-off from administrators of the “East-West” Telegram chat, with whom he had a conflict during a discussion about the war in Ukraine. They told him they had reported him, but the St Petersburg resident paid no attention at first. After the conflict, an unknown user messaged him and suggested taking photos of buildings and cars and sending them. Bykov refused.