«I would like to say too much. I apologize for the harshness, just understand me correctly — when you are accused of something you did not do and simply could not do... You are not a terrorist, you once, that is, I, was a serviceman of the Ukrainian army. I did not commit any terrorist acts, did not undergo training for any terrorist acts, deal with explosives and the like — I do not know how to do this, I was not taught.
Underwent regular basic training, like ordinary soldiers of any unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard, Rosgvardiya. Regular basic training — young soldier's course.
As for overthrowing the government — well, this is generally some kind of absurdity. I am a former serviceman, let's start with that. I resigned in 2018 of my own free will, I completed my service of my own free will.
The main point: what I was supposed to do, what I actually did — it was guarding facilities. It was called anti-landing defense, and that's it. This is regular guard duty, which I carried out for almost three years. The current commander of this unit, as far as we know, does not have such an article as overthrowing the government at all. That is, I do not understand at all how this is possible — without the commander's knowledge, I was going to overthrow, or what? It just doesn't fit in my head, to be honest.
At the time when I served, those territories — DNR and LNR — they were part of Ukraine. Russia did not deny this. On the contrary, Russia's rhetoric stated that this was the territory of Ukraine, and there is currently a civil war there. The territories of Ukraine were included in the composition of Russia already in 2022, at that moment I was already in prison, in Donetsk SIZO-1, where I ended up in the same 2022 six months earlier than DNR and LNR were included in the Russian Federation. What power, again, the question. How — unclear.
Regarding the terrorist organization — the same. When the law was adopted in your country that this unit of the National Guard of Ukraine is a terrorist organization, I was no longer part of the active servicemen of this unit, that is, I had already been dismissed from this unit for three years.
I am a civilian person, lived a normal civilian life. Lived, worked, and so on, I was not involved in any terrorism. In Ukraine, not a single administrative offense was drawn up against me, no fine for smoking in a prohibited place, drinking alcoholic beverages — nothing like that was against me.
Then it turns out that, being at home in the city of Mariupol, everything somehow happened suddenly. War, some people enter the house, beat, put a bag on my head, take me away — it was either March 20 or 21, these events.
Then I officially ended up in Donetsk SIZO-1, was brought there on April 8 or 7. In general, few people are interested in where I was during this period — from March 20, 2022, to April 8. Well, I myself do not know where I was — essentially, the bag did not come off my head.
What I signed — I have no idea what I signed. They told me: «Sign, everything will be fine, Sanya. Sign, will you. You see, we are treating you well, otherwise, you know... — I know, I say, I will sign. — And there, they say, already in court... You didn't do this? — I didn't. — Well, that's what you'll say».
I am not playing to the audience right now in any way, I am not amused, not funny at the moment. I say, I still cannot believe deep down that this is happening to me, in fact, for the third year, even the fourth. I reject it with all my being, cannot comprehend and accept it, especially — for what? If I did not do any of this. Served. Tried, honestly, didn't like it, resigned, it's not my thing — military duties, regulations, marching step.
No terrorist acts, I say again, I did not commit and did not intend to. No one's power, Russian... How could I have tried to overthrow it in 2019? How would it look bypassing the command? The commander calls: «Mukhin, why are you not on duty? — Yes, I went to overthrow the Russian government. — Why are you not at the checkpoint? — Yes, I was somewhere there in Donetsk».
Then I would have been dismissed on medical grounds — they would have said he is mentally unstable, inadequate person. A normal person simply would not declare such a thing out loud.
Now I am facing a huge sentence, and again I say — I cannot understand for what. And there is no adequate evidence for all this either. Some materials, internet resources... I have one social network, and there were five or six photos, no more. Daughter in the park, gym — such, neutral. But they extracted from there, somewhere they saw that I was going to overthrow the government, was going to organize terrorism, somehow learned competently... Unclear. This is a completely inflated, fabricated, falsified case in my opinion, reaching absurdity.
Once again, I say, I never had problems with the law, tried to live as a law-abiding citizen. But even if you steal a wallet from a grandmother, roughly speaking, a certain procedure of actions must take place: questioning witnesses, and so on — you cannot just call a person a thief who wanted to rob, steal from a grandmother. And it turns out that dressing a person as a terrorist, an overthrower of power — is much easier. I understand, no evidence is needed here, just four letters, the name of that unit — «Azov».
But again, I signed a contract not with «Azov», I signed a contract with the National Guard, which seems to be a regular army. «Azov» — is also a regular unit of the regular army of Ukraine.
The «Azov» in question, 2014 — I was not there, it was some kind of volunteer battalion, it did not belong to anyone. I do not know who was in that battalion — these are two different units. I was in the «Azov» regiment, which belongs to military unit 3057 of the National Guard, with which I had a contract. I was assigned to «Azov» for contract service, where I was not taught anything like that: to hold a weapon, but what is terrorist about that? A serviceman must at least learn the basics of using their standard weapon, which is recorded in your military ID. Learned, in the unit, it's all there.
Unlike the evidence of my guilt, where I served, when I signed the contract, what position I held and in what rank — it's all somewhere there. This information was obtained, and I was shown a photocopy of my military ID, certificate. These data are in my case, I see nothing terrorist about it at all, I am an ordinary serviceman.
What else? Regarding Russophobia — again, I was born in the Russian-speaking city of Mariupol, have spoken Russian all my life quite well. My relatives always speak Russian, my friends. How can I force a person, criticize for speaking Russian, being Russian-speaking? Agree, it's strange.
I do not admit guilt, do not admit. Yes, I served, yes, I was a serviceman. Resigned. How am I a terrorist?»
* Recognized in Russia as a «terrorist» organization.
Photo: Mediazona