SC mitigates sentence for General Muzraev
The cassation court has reduced the sentence for Mikhail Muzraev, convicted in the case on the arson of the house of the Volgograd Region Governor, from 20 years to 18.5 years of imprisonment. The sentence of the second defendant has been left unchanged.
On March 22, 2023, the military court sentenced Mikhail Muzraev to 20 years of imprisonment, finding him guilty of a terrorist attack in connection with the arson of the house of the Volgograd Region Governor, illegal arms trafficking, and abuse of office. The second defendant, Volgograd entrepreneur Vladimir Zubkov, was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment on the charge of a terrorist attack. Both defendants pleaded not guilty. The Military Court of Appeal in Vlasikha in the Moscow Region classified the trial and upheld the verdict on November 22, 2023.
Today, the Supreme Court (SC) of Russia has reduced the sentence of Mikhail Muzraev, a court press officer reports. The court official has also clarified that following the court hearing, the Mikhail Muzraev’s sentence was reduced from 20 years to 18.5 years of imprisonment. At the same time, the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the decision to deprive Mikhail Muzraev of his special rank and awards.
“The verdict of the Southern District Military Court and the appellate ruling shall be changed. Mikhail Muzraev shall be released from punishment under Part 1 of Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation [Abuse of Authority] due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution. In accordance with Part 3 of Article 69 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation [Assignment of punishment for a combination of crimes], assign to Mikhail Muzraev for a combination of crimes provided for in Paragraph ‘a’ of Part 2 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Part 1 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 18 years and 6 months with serving the sentence in a high-security penal colony. Otherwise, the verdict shall be left unchanged,” the “Vysota 102” news agency quotes the court as stating.
The verdict to Vladimir Zubkov has been left upheld.
The first court hearing scheduled for May 21 did not take place because Mikhail Muzraev was not brought to court, and the trial was postponed until June 2. The operative part was announced in the afternoon, the “V1.ru” reports. “The verdict against Vladimir Zubkov is upheld, and the cassation appeal is dismissed,” the “Vysota 102” news agency quotes an employee of the Supreme Court press service officer as stating.
This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 2, 2025 at 05:45 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.