The Ust-Vymsky District Court of the Komi Republic sentenced the Arkhangelsk actionist Andrei «Drevarkh the Enlightened» Khristoforov to a year conditionally under the article on the use of violence against a police officer (part 1 of Art. 318 of the Criminal Code). This is reported by the online edition «29.ru».
Photo: Tatiana Britskaya/Novaya Gazeta
The court ruled that Khristoforov hit a police officer with an electric shock in a train near Shies station in the Arkhangelsk region. The court also established a probationary period for the actionist for one year. When sentencing, Drevarch's disability and the presence of minor children were taken into account.
A criminal case against Khristoforov was opened in 2019. The actionist insists that he did not use violence, but, on the contrary, was beaten by the police himself. The incident took place after an activist pulled the stop-valve, stopping the train on Shies, where there were protests against the construction of a landfill. In the midst of the confrontation, Russian Railways canceled the stop of trains at this station, depriving the protesters of the opportunity to get to the scene.
In September 2019, after being charged in a criminal case, Drevarkh left Russia, violating his recognizance not to leave. Khristoforov was put on the international wanted list, for about two years he tried to obtain asylum in Ukraine. In August 2021, the actionist returned to Russia and surrendered to the authorities, after which he was placed under house arrest and released two weeks later on recognizance not to leave.