Entrance to Moscow SIZO-2 Lefortovo. Photo: Alexander Kornyushchenko
On Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported that the Federal Prison Service of the Russian Federation denied media reports about the presence of members of the nationalist Azov battalion. (criminal cases have been opened against his gunmen in the Russian Federation) in Lefortovo pre-trial detention.
“In response to your appeal, we inform you that the persons named in the application are not held in FKU SIZO-2 of the Federal Prison Service of Russia ( “Lefort's,” “ed.”),” the agency quotes the agency's response as saying. at her request. Earlier, some media published information that members of the national “Azov” battalion may be held in this detention center.
Recall that the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of Russia to recognize the Ukrainian paramilitary nationalist association ” Azov” for a terrorist organization with a ban on its activities in Russia. The review of the document will take place behind closed doors as the case is classified as “secret”. The court session is scheduled for August 2.
If the Supreme Court approves the lawsuit of the General Prosecutor's Office and passes the relevant sentence, any member of the Azov National Formation can be prosecuted as an accomplice of a terrorist organization. The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation stipulates imprisonment for this from 10 to 20 years, and for the organizers – from 15 to 20 years. At the same time, the law exempts from liability persons who voluntarily stopped participating in such events. organization before the arrest and initiation of investigative actions.
On May 20, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the complete liberation of the metallurgical plant in Mariupol “Azovstal”, which is held by the Ukrainian army and militants from the national formation. In total, according to the agency, since May 16, 2,439 people from the Azov regiment have laid down their arms and surrendered. and units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were blocked in the territory of the plant for about a month.