Lawyers see threat of severe sentence for Balabanov for setting fire to military commissariat

The announcement of the testimonies given by Mikhail Balabanov during the preliminary investigation could make the verdict heavier, since it contains a confession of hatred towards Russian leadership, lawyers have stated. In their opinion, the defence is unlikely to be able to challenge this confession.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 31, 2024, the Military Court in Rostov-on-Don began considering the case of Mikhail Balabanov, accused of preparing to set fire to the military commissariat (registration and enlistment office) in Nevinnomyssk. The defendant does not deny committing specific actions, but refuses to treat them as preparation for a terror act. His defence demands to justify why the case had been treated as a terrorist offense and points to proofs of law enforcers' provocation.

Lawyers have commented on the reading out in court of Balabanov's testimonies, which included a phrase about hatred of the Russian leadership after the start of the special military operation. In their opinion, this is an attempt to toughen Balabanov's punishment; and the defence is unlikely to be able to protest against this phrase.

At first glance, the announcement of Mikhail's testimonies is an attempt to justify the presence of an "extremist motive" on Balabanov's part, Dmitry Gurin, a lawyer, has stated.

Sergey Davidis, the head of the independent human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial", has noted that this phrase is very important because it allows introducing an aggravating motive. According to Sergey's opinion, Balabanov's case belongs to the category of cases "with the obvious participation of third parties who encourage the defendant to commit certain actions or create the basis for an accusation."