Dissident Alexander Skobov was sentenced to 16 years in the colony for a post about the Crimean Bridge
The 1st Western District Military Court of St. Petersburg sentenced 67-year-old dissident Alexander Skobov to 16 years in prison and a fine of 300 thousand rubles. This is reported by Mediazona.
He will spend the first three years in prison, the rest in a colony of a strict regime. During the proceedings, the prosecutor's office demanded 18 years in prison for Skobov.
In his last word, Skobov stated (quote on Mediazon):
Europe is used to thinking that its safe secure world is securely protected. Today, this world is spread in pieces by two creeps: the Kremlin and the Washington.
We are watching a disgusting attempt by a purely imperialist conspiracy by two predators. If Putin's annexes are legalized, it will be a disaster for civilization. Death to the Russian fascist invaders! Death to Putin, the new Hitler, the murderer and the scoundrel! Glory to Ukraine!
Skobov ended his speech by saying that it is not him to be blamed, but he himself blames "the stinking corpses Putin clique".
The motive for the criminal case was Skobov's post with the justification of the demolition of the Crimean Bridge, reported "Memorial" with reference to his lawyer.
In April 2024 Skobova was sent to detention. There, his chronic illnesses - diabetes, hepatitis C and bronchial asthma - worsened and his vision deteriorated severely.
Skobov was a political activist back in the times of the USSR, for which he was twice admitted to a psychiatric hospital - in 1978 and 1982. He spoke against the Chechen war, the annexation of Crimea, and subsequent war in Ukraine. On March 22, 2024 Skobov was declared an "foreign agent".
Photo credits to Mediazon