The 2nd Western District Military Court of Moscow, at an off-site session in the Tver Garrison Military Court, found 58-year-old Andrey Trofimov guilty under articles on 'justifying terrorism' and 'discrediting' the army and sentenced him to 9 years in prison — 4 and 3 years for both parts of the article on 'justifying terrorism' and 3 years for the article on 'discrediting' the army, reported a correspondent from SOTAvision** from the courtroom.
The prosecution requested a total of 15 years in prison by combining the terms. As a result, the court sentenced Trofimov to 13 years of strict regime based on the total terms of the first and second criminal cases.
The prosecution claimed that the defendant's guilt was proven and confirmed by witness testimonies, audio recordings of Trofimov's conversations with other inmates, as well as publications in Telegram channels and the media.
The lawyer read out the testimony of the prisoner's son. He said that his father graduated from Bauman Moscow State Technical University with honors, defended the White House in 1991, and participated in Yeltsin's inauguration. According to Vladimir Trofimov, during his military service, his father often visited him in the unit and organized his birthday. Vladimir also reported that since 2010, his father participated in protests and supported Boris Yeltsin and Alexei Navalny*, but did not involve family members in this. According to the son, Trofimov changed after the start of the 'SVO', became anxious, slept two hours a day, and constantly read the news.
Andrey Trofimov prohibited his appointed lawyer from participating in the debates but spoke himself. 'I am in prison for words. There are no actions in either the first or the second case. This is my way of participating in events; I had no physical ability to leave the country, and I did not want to remain silent in this situation. <.> I want to maintain my conscience in this situation, the ability to distinguish black from white, and lies from truth, and very importantly, the ability to speak aloud what I consider to be the truth,' Trofimov stated in the debates.
He also noted that Vladimir Putin should be judged 'for the violent seizure of power', not him for words. 'And in what is happening after February 24, we observe the elements of Article 353 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — planning, preparing, unleashing, or waging an aggressive war,' Trofimov added.
The defendant noted that he does not plead guilty because he does not consider the events he mentioned in his final statement in the first case to be terrorist acts, as the Kremlin is the residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and is therefore a legitimate target for Ukraine. After which, he called to be judged for treason. 'I provide informational support to Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In fact, this is a transition to the side of the enemy in an armed conflict involving the Russian Federation. This constitutes Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. I ask the court to return my criminal case to the prosecutor, as the factual circumstances indicate grounds for qualifying my actions as a more serious crime. Judge me for treason! I have betrayed your insane state!' Trofimov is quoted by SOTAvision.
* Included in the list of 'terrorists and extremists'.
** Recognized in Russia as a 'foreign agent'.
Photo: SOTAvision