Support The Moscow Times!

Convicted Leader of Murderous Russian Ultranationalist Group Gets Life in Prison

Ilya Goryachev

The leader of a Russian nationalist gang that committed a slew of high-profile murders which shocked the country was sentenced to life in prison by a Moscow court on Friday, the Interfax news agency reported.

Ilya Goryachev, 33, the leader of the BORN nationalist organization, was found guilty of five murders, organizing an armed extremist group and illegal possession of weapons earlier this month.

Goryachev, who had denied the accusations, lost consciousness as his sentence was being read out Friday, Russian media reported.

The members of BORN, a Russian acronym for Militant Organization of Russian Nationalists, murdered at least 10 people, including human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, who were shot in broad daylight in central Moscow as they left a courtroom.

The group also killed Eduard Chuvashov, a federal judge who had issued guilty verdicts in a number of high-profile hate crime cases. Other victims whose murders were arranged by Goryachev included antifascist movement leader Ilya Dzhaparidze and a Tajik migrant worker.

Prosecutors said the organization was set up in 2008 by Goryachev and Nikita Tikhonov, who is already serving a life sentence in prison for the murders of Markelov and Baburova.

Goryachev was extradited back to Russia in 2013 from Serbia, where he had been in hiding after being put on an international wanted list.

Media photos from the courtroom showed Goryachev wearing a T-shirt reading “Krym Nash,” the catchphrase widely used on Russia social media last year to celebrate Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more