A Moscow military court has sentenced 12 men to terms of up to 25 years in prison in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Margarita Simonyan, the head of Kremlin-funded RT television.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that the defendants, some of whom were under 18 at the time of their arrest, belonged to a neo-Nazi group called Paragraph-88 and were paid by Ukraine to carry out the assassination. Ukraine has not confirmed its involvement in the alleged plot, and the allegations have not been independently verified.
Simonyan, who has been described as a key figure in Vladimir Putin's propaganda apparatus and is sanctioned by Western countries, was reportedly the target of an assassination attempt thwarted in July 2023, according to the FSB.
The defendants were convicted after allegations surfaced that their confessions were coerced through torture, including electric shocks and strangulation. Lawyers and supporters of some defendants have claimed that confessions were extracted under duress, though Russian investigators have denied any wrongdoing.
Mikhail Balashov, 20, received a 25-year sentence for his alleged role in the plot, while Yegor Savelyev, 24, was sentenced to 15 years for attempted murder. The least severe sentence given was six years.
According to the FSB, the men agreed to act on Ukraine's orders in exchange for approximately £14,600. The security agency also initially claimed the case involved an attempt on the life of Ksenia Sobchak, a television presenter and media owner known as Putin's 'goddaughter', but her name was later removed from the proceedings.
Balashov's attorneys stated he confessed after enduring severe beatings in police custody. A witness reportedly told Mediazona that Balashov's hands were so badly bruised and swollen that they appeared 'bloated like boxing gloves.' Savelyev was reportedly subjected to torture with an electric shock device.
The accused were convicted on various charges including attempted murder, forming and participating in a terrorist organization, robbery, hooliganism, and inciting extremism and hatred based on nationality. The trial was conducted behind closed doors.