Pensioner in Russia given 4 years in prison for denying the collapse of the USSR

The Pervomaisky District Court of Omsk sentenced 72-year-old pensioner Vladimir Beskhlebny, who denies the collapse of the USSR and calls himself the chairman of the Omsk “executive committee of the Council of People’s Deputies of the RSFSR,” to four years’ probation, reports Present Time.

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He was accused of “creating an extremist community” and “preparation for a crime.”

According to the state prosecution, Beskhlebny, from January 1, 2020, “was engaged in the creation of an extremist community in which he assumed the role of leader.” On June 24, 2020, on the day of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Victory, the pensioner allegedly intended to carry out a violent change of power in the region and arrest the governor. He, according to the investigation, looked for contacts of former and current military personnel, found out the location of warehouses with weapons and ammunition in the region, and even planned an armed seizure of the television center. Beskhlebny’s goal was “to restore the form of government and state structure that existed under the USSR.”

Vladimir Beskhlebny denied all charges.

“The prosecution witnesses agreed among themselves what questions to ask me in order to collect incriminating evidence on me. They took advantage of my gullibility. I still don’t understand what crime I committed to get on the international list of extremist terrorists,” Beskhlebny said.

Vladimir Beskhlebny noted that due to charges of organizing an extremist community, in July 2020 he stopped receiving a pension - his only source of income. Those involved in “extremist” cases in Russia have their bank accounts blocked.

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Witnesses for the defense told the court that Beskhlebny never spoke to them about the violent change of power. During meetings with the defendant, they discussed the economic condition of pensioners, the revival of trade unions, the restoration of state and collective farms, and social problems.

The prosecutor asked for a pensioner four years of real imprisonment. But the court sentenced Beskhlebny to a four-year suspended sentence with a four-year probationary period.

“There is not a single piece of evidence of my guilt, except for video recordings. I am sure that during the investigation the video evidence was edited, but the court rejected our requests to conduct an examination of the video recordings. Using my example, they want to punish those who deny the collapse of the USSR. They want people to be afraid and inform on each other,” Beskhlebny said after the trial.

A criminal case was opened against Vladimir Beskhlebny on July 6, 2020. On July XNUMX, searches were carried out in the apartments of Beskhlebny and his supporters, as well as in their offices. In addition to office equipment, “state seals of the RSFSR and Soviet-style passports” were confiscated.

In August 2019, the public association “Union of Slavic Forces of Rus'” (“Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, “USSR”) was recognized as an extremist organization, whose supporters also denied the collapse of the USSR. In July 2019, participants in the “Home to the USSR” movement from Nizhnevartovsk (KhMAO) were accused of preparing for an armed seizure of buildings.

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In March 2021, Krasnodar resident Marina Melikhova, the leader of the Kuban “Citizens of the USSR,” received 3,5 years in a penal colony for a video on social networks. In July 2021, 6-year-old Alexander Mordovsky, who denied the collapse of the USSR and did not recognize the existence of Russia, received 53 years in prison.

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