Former militia commander and Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who accuses the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, and top army officers of failing in the war against Ukraine, was found guilty this Thursday of inciting extremism and sentenced to four years in prison.
Girkin, who has pleaded not guilty, has posted ideas about being Putin’s opponent in March’s presidential election, saying he could do a better job than the veteran leader.
Inside a glass cell inside the courtroom, Girkin, 53, listened to the verdict, rolling his eyes as the judge declared he had been sentenced to four years in a penal colony. The magistrate also banned Girkin, who was once a prominent blogger in the country, from using the Internet for three years.
Girkin’s official Telegram channel, run by allies, reported that he did not recognize the verdict and uttered the phrase: “I serve the country!”
His case has attracted attention because it is a barometer of how much criticism the Kremlin accepts over its war in Ukraine, which the government calls a “special military operation.”
Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said Girkin’s punishment was a lesson for people who consider themselves patriots: “Of course, propagandize and insult the leader of a country that is fighting against the aggression of a huge coalition global is not patriotism,” he said on Telegram.
Source: Terra
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