Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Man Jailed 25 Years Over Attempted Military Office Arson

Ilya Baburin. solidarity.zone

A Russian court has sentenced a software engineer from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk to 25 years in prison for trying to set fire to a military recruitment office, state media reported Monday.

Ilya Baburin was detained in September 2022 and charged with terrorism after he set fire to a music school and then was allegedly preparing to burn down a local military recruitment office. Investigators accused him of taking orders from Ukraine’s Azov Regiment.

Months after his detention, authorities pressed additional treason and terrorism-related charges against Baburin.

The Second Eastern Military Garrison Court found him guilty and ruled to “partly add up” his prison sentence to 25 years, the state-run TASS news agency reported Monday.

Prosecutors had requested a record-setting 26 years in prison for Baburin.

In his closing remarks last week, Baburin denounced the case against him as “absurd” and argued that he should have been tried for hooliganism instead of terrorism and treason.

Baburin accused law enforcement authorities of physically abusing him while in pre-trial detention. He had initially signed a plea deal but later turned it down and denied the charges.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss 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