In the Central District Military Court, Judge Igor Belkin continues to consider the case against Polina Yevtushenko, who faces 22.5 years for her anti-war stance. The report against her was written by provocateur Nikolai Komarov, who gained Yevtushenko's trust, provoked conversations about the war and mobilization, recorded all meetings on a dictaphone, edited the recordings as needed, and took them to the FSB, reports the human rights project «First Department»*.
The judge attached to the case the linguistic conclusion of the forensic expert with a higher philological education, Elena Novozhilova, who studied all the recordings of conversations between Komarov and Yevtushenko.
According to this conclusion, the initiator of numerous remarks, primarily about the Legion «Freedom of Russia»** and emigration, is Nikolai Komarov himself. He is also the author of «illocutionary compelling remarks throughout the communication, including coercion to a certain reaction». Examples include Komarov's phrases: «It exists anyway, agree, you cannot deny it», «Polina, just without any excuses, I'm telling you right away».
At the same time, Novozhilova notes that Komarov's speech is not completely spontaneous, it is speech on a pre-known topic and according to a thought-out plan. «In the conversations presented in the audio files, Komarov's communicative role is the leader, manipulator, Yevtushenko's communicative role is the subordinate, object of manipulation», the expert's conclusion notes.
In Yevtushenko's statements, Novozhilova did not find signs of «involvement, recruitment, or inducement to participate in the activities of terrorist organizations» of the Legion «Freedom of Russia», as well as «signs of inducement or encouragement to switch to the enemy's side».
According to the investigation, Yevtushenko encouraged a resident of Samara to join the Legion «Freedom of Russia» and published similar calls on social networks. The main witness for the prosecution was a provocateur who has worked undercover before. Previously, he tried to discredit the activities of Navalny's headquarters*** in Samara, and also worked as a provocateur at protest rallies.
Yevtushenko was detained in July 2023, initially accused only of inciting treason, but in the final version, there were already 12 crimes under six articles: «preparation for treason», «assistance to terrorist activities», «public calls for extremist activities», «public justification of terrorism», «rehabilitation of Nazism», and military «fakes».
«I went on friendly dates, and then it turned out that this person was recording our conversations on a dictaphone from the very first meeting. He asked me a bunch of questions about them [Legion «Freedom of Russia»], and I answered him. The recordings are edited. Moments that could justify me are excluded, and this is audible, as the conversations just cut off», Yevtushenko wrote in a letter to the publication «Kholod»*.
* Recognized as «foreign agents» in Russia.
** Recognized as a «terrorist» organization in Russia.
*** Recognized as an «extremist» organization in Russia.