ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 24The mother of Albert Kruglov, a resident of Crimea, who is accused of preparing for high treason and participating in the activities of a terrorist organization, said in a court in Rostov-on-Don that she did not know about her son's crimes, a correspondent reports from the courtroom.
On Thursday, the interrogation of the defendant's mother, Victoria Kruglova, took place via video link in the Southern District Military Court.
““I didn’t know anything,” Kruglova said, answering the lawyer’s question about whether she knew about her son’s activities. The woman added that she «found out when they came to us with a search.»
Kruglova noted that her son is very suggestible and impressionable, therefore, probably, «he was influenced through the Internet, and somewhere he got confused.» She asked the court to give him a term «as short as possible». The next hearing in the case was scheduled for September 11 at 14:00 Moscow time.
Kruglov is charged with «preparation for treason» (Part 1 of Article 30, Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and «participation in the activities of a terrorist organization» (Part 2 of Article 205.5).
According to the indictment, Kruglov planned to leave for Ukraine and join the Azov terrorist group, banned in Russia*. According to the investigation, he maintained contact with a representative of Azov* through social networks and received recommendations from him. The defendant admitted his guilt in court.
As reported by the UFSB in Crimea, Kruglov attracted the attention of the special services after the publication of religious extremist appeals on the social network. In 2018, two pipe bombs disguised as a thermos and a bottle were found at his home. During the investigation, he fully admitted his guilt. In 2019, the Alushta City Court sentenced him to 1 year and 8 months in prison and a fine of 60 thousand rubles.