Yuri Kokhovets, who spoke negatively about the "special operation" in a street poll, received a five-year prison sentence.
Resident Moscow sentenced to real imprisonment for participating in a street survey conducted by Radio Liberty journalists in 2022. Answering a question about the need to "de-escalate tensions between Russia and NATO countries," Yuri Kokhovets He said that Russia was “bombing shopping malls” and that the military was shooting at Ukrainian civilians without reason, including in Bucha.
In April of this year, the court appointed He was sentenced to five years of forced labor. However, the prosecution disagreed and appealed the sentence. Today, the Moscow City Court replaced forced labor for actual imprisonment: Kokhovets was handcuffed right in the courtroom.
In his final statement, he said that during the street interview he was unaware of the existence of the criminal article on "military fakes" and did not think that his interview would be published anywhere.
Lawyer Elena Sheremetyeva She considers such punishment for expressing one's opinion "excessively harsh." According to her, Yuri Kokhovets didn't expect the forced labor to be replaced by a prison sentence, so he showed up without his belongings.
«He has work to do, he didn't expect this outcome today.», - said Olga, Sheremetyeva to journalists.
Video: SOTAvision. 1 - After the verdict in April 2024, 2 - The verdict on September 17, 2024