Judge Oleg Shishov of the 2nd Western District Military Court found Ruslan Sidiki guilty of training for terrorism, terrorist acts, and illegal handling of explosives, reported correspondents from SotaVision** and "Mediazona"**. Sidiki will spend the first nine years in prison, the remaining term in a high-security penal colony. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 2 million rubles.
Prosecutor Boris Matorin requested that Ruslan Sidiki be sentenced to 30 years in a high-security penal colony, with the first 10 years to be spent in prison, the remaining term in a high-security correctional colony with a fine of 2.5 million rubles and a restriction of freedom for 2 years.
In July 2023, the anarchist equipped four drones with explosives to attack the Dyagilevo military airfield. Only one drone was launched, but it did not cause any damage. A representative of the Ministry of Defense noted in court that due to the lack of damage, the department has no claims against the accused.
In November of the same year, Sidiki blew up railway tracks in the Ryazan region. As a result, 19 wagons with fertilizers derailed, and the driver and his assistant were injured. The anarchist apologized to them in his final statement.
36-year-old plumber and anarchist Ruslan Sidiki is a citizen of Russia and Italy. In court, he stated that his goal was to damage military infrastructure and it was important for him to avoid civilian casualties. Sidiki recounted that immediately after his arrest, law enforcement officers beat him and tortured him with electricity.
The prosecutor considered that Sidiki's guilt and his participation in a criminal group with "unidentified representatives of Ukrainian special services" were fully proven, and Sidiki's claims of torture during the preliminary investigation "were not confirmed". According to the Investigative Committee, Sidiki underwent "sabotage training in Latvia".
The defense pointed to the provisions of the Geneva Convention, according to which Sidiki is a prisoner of war, as he was effectively a Ukrainian combatant in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Sidiki himself repeatedly pointed this out during the investigation.
* Included in the list of "terrorists and extremists".
** Recognized as "foreign agents" in Russia.
Photo: Mediazona