During the arguments in the 2nd Western District Court, prosecutor Nadezhda Tikhonova requested 19 years in a high-security colony for RMA business school lecturer Eldar Marchenko in a case of a terrorist act committed by a group of individuals, causing significant damage, reported a «Mediazona»** correspondent from the courtroom.
The prosecution asks that Marchenko spend the first six years of his sentence in prison, and the rest in a high-security colony.
According to the investigation, Marchenko «with the aim of destabilizing the authorities of the Russian Federation» joined an organized group created by «Ukrainian security structures and military formations» in August 2023. He traveled from Moscow to Kursk and on August 27, «using a smartphone», transmitted the coordinates of the local airport to the handlers. After this, «at least two UAVs» were sent from the territory of Ukraine to Kursk, resulting in «damage to at least eight apartments, an administrative building of an educational institution, and two cars».
Marchenko did not plead guilty, and he also claimed torture.
The victims, speaking via video link, reported that the arrival of the drones caused them «suffering», one of them still «takes certain medications», and therefore filed a civil lawsuit for 300,000 rubles in moral compensation.
The 51-year-old Marchenko, a lecturer in sports management at the Moscow RMA business school and former husband of Port publisher Maria Lekukh, was detained on August 1, 2024. Searches were conducted at his home in the Moscow region, after which he was taken to the FSB. The human rights project «OVD-Info»** reported that the man was tortured with electricity for about two hours until he signed a «confession to carrying out tasks for Ukrainian special services».
On December 18 of last year, Marchenko was added to the list of «terrorists and extremists» by Rosfinmonitoring.
* Included in the list of «terrorists and extremists».
** Recognized as «foreign agents» in Russia.
Photo: Alexandra Astakhova/Mediazona