The Second Western District Military Court in Russia has sentenced Andrei Pranskiy and six others to terms ranging from 12 years in a penal colony to life imprisonment on charges of preparing an assassination attempt on Russian TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov, participation in a terrorist organisation, arson of military recruitment offices and cars with Z-symbols. This was reported by Russian media on 19 December.
Pronsky received a life sentence, Timofei Mokiy received 28 years, Vladimir Belyakov received 27 years, Vladimir Stepanov (Young) received 26 years, Maxim Druzhinin received 25 years, Andrei Volkov received 18 years, and Denis Abrarov received 12 years. Another defendant in the case, Vasily Strizhakov, was earlier sent by the court to a psychiatric hospital for compulsory treatment.
According to the prosecution’s version, Pronsky set up a Moscow cell of the National-Socialism/White Power (NS/WP) movement in October 2021 – four months after it was recognised as “terrorist” – and involved other defendants. They set fire to four cars, four military recruitment centres and one private house. The arson targets were allegedly identified by Pronsky together with members of Ukraine’s intelligence services, and videos of the arsons were posted on the Oderint, Dum Metuant channel.
In addition, in March 2020, according to the investigation, they were going to assassinate Russian TV presenter Vladimir Soloviev. The intermediary between the unidentified Ukrainian intelligence officer and Pronsky was allegedly “Ukrainian neo-Nazi” Artem Deriglazov, who is serving a life sentence in Ukraine for the murder of a policeman. Members of the group allegedly planned to attach a bomb to the back of Solovyov’s car and detonate it.
Russian security forces claimed that during the search, members of the group were seized “an improvised explosive device, eight homemade Molotov cocktails, six PM pistols, a sawn-off hunting rifle, an RGD-5 grenade, more than a thousand rounds of ammunition, narcotic drugs, and forged Ukrainian passports.”
Pronskyy earlier said that he was tortured after his detention to gain access to the Oderint, Dum Metuant channel. According to him, he was “tried with water, sharpened his teeth with a file, forced to stand for 16 hours near the brakes without moving”.
“And what they did to the young one is scary to say at all,” he said in his letter.
In April 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine said it had “learnt with interest” of Russian’s statements about his alleged involvement in the attempted assassination of Solovyov. The agency denied that it had plans to kill Solovyov, while noting that the latter “will answer for his crimes in international courts after Ukraine’s victory”.