The Central District Military Court sentenced saxophonist Andrey Shabanov from Samara to six years in a general regime colony, reported RusNews.
He was found guilty of “propaganda of terrorism” and “public calls for activities against state security.” The court also imposed a three-year ban on managing internet resources. The prosecution requested an eight-year prison sentence for Shabanov, who has a second-degree disability.
The basis for initiating the criminal case was posts on Facebook*. According to the investigation, the Samara resident posted publications on the social network calling to fight against Vladimir Putin and the current government, including through financial support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the “Freedom of Russia” Legion, and the “Russian Volunteer Corps,” as well as through sabotage.
Andrey Shabanov was arrested in April 2024. Shabanov is seriously ill, with a second-degree disability. He suffers from autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis and psoriatic ankylosing spondyloarthritis. Since the musician's detention, his defense has insisted on changing the preventive measure, arguing that his health condition does not allow him to stay in a pre-trial detention center.
At one of the hearings on the preventive measure, Shabanov spoke about his condition. “They are killing me, killing me alive! I am rotting, rotting everywhere — legs, arms, head. And you say no. How can you not be ashamed? Have you ever suffered from this? Do you know what it is: blood and pus? You must have some conscience. At least a little. I won't last six months!” However, the medical commission found no grounds for his release from custody, and the court regularly extended his arrest until the sentence with a real term.
In his final statement, Shabanov admitted guilt and asked the judge to consider these circumstances to mitigate the sentence, so as not to deprive his mother of support in the person of her only son.
“I fully repent. I didn't mean any harm,” he said, and then turned to his mother and asked her forgiveness in connection with the criminal prosecution. Shabanov's mother also has a disability; before his arrest, he cared for her and provided financial support.
In March 2022, Shabanov was fined 60,000 rubles in a case of “rehabilitation of Nazism.” At that time, the reason for the criminal prosecution was that the musician attempted to upload a photograph of Adolf Hitler to the “Immortal Regiment” website and published posts criticizing Victory Day on “VKontakte.”
* The owner of Facebook Meta is recognized in Russia as an “extremist” organization.
Photo: Zasekin.ru