A group of St. Petersburg neo-Nazis received lengthy prison sentences on Tuesday for a series of crimes that included killing foreigners and burning homeless people alive.
Eight members of the group NS/WP, which stands for National Socialism/White Power, will serve terms in high-security prisons for 10 murders, five attempted murders and acts of arson carried out between 2009 and 2010, a statement on the regional website of the Investigative Committee said.
The group, created in 2009, sought to "incite racial hatred against natives of the Caucasus, Asia and Africa," the statement said.
In one of the more heinous episodes described by investigators, members of the group filmed themselves murdering a citizen of Ghana. According to Newsru.com, the group later posted the video on the Internet to mark New Year's Day, titling it, "A New Year, A New Terror."
Another incident, described by Fontanka.ru, saw two members of the group burn two homeless women alive who had been sleeping in a vehicle.
The sentences for each member differed depending on the severity of their contribution to the crimes. Charges included murder, attempted murder, inciting racial hatred, hooliganism, illegal possession of weapons and illegal possession of explosive materials.
German Vengerveld, who took part in setting fire to the vehicle in which the two homeless women were sleeping, got the harshest sentence: 24 years. Vladimir Mumzhiyev got 16 years, while his brother Valentin Mumzhiyev got 14, as did Artyom Zavyalov. Arseny Miroshnichenko got 9 years; Yevgeny Koryabkin and Dmitry Abalishin each got seven years; Kirill Prisyazhnyuk got three and Roman Veits got two years' probation.
Georgy Timofeyev, who the court determined had created the group and coordinated all of its actions, was earlier sentenced to 13 years after accepting a plea deal.
One other member of the group was also sentenced earlier, and another remains on a wanted list.
NS/WP, which has been deemed an extremist group in Russia, is widely considered one of the country's most violent neo-Nazi gangs. In 2011, two members of the group were convicted of beheading a fellow 17-year-old nationalist from Moscow, Newsru.com reported.
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