The 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow sentenced St. Petersburg resident Vyacheslav Lutor to 10 years in prison in the case of treason and involvement in the Freedom of Russia Legion. This was reported by a Mediazona correspondent from the courtroom. He will spend the first two years in prison, then in a maximum security colony.
Luthor was found guilty of attempted treason (Part 1 of Article 30, Article 275 of the Criminal Code), confidential cooperation with a foreign state (Article 275.1 of the Criminal Code) and participation in a terrorist organization (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code). Today, during the debate, the prosecution asked that the man be sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Vyacheslav Lutor is 33 years old and a native of Krasnoyarsk. Judging by his resume, he graduated from the local branch of the Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics (MESI). After that, he moved to St. Petersburg and worked at the St. Petersburg Bank.
The prosecution believes that Luthor corresponded with the “Freedom of Russia” legion and was planning to leave for Ukraine to fight on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Cases of treason are usually classified, so what exactly the bank employee is accused of became known only during the interrogation via video conference of his former colleagues at the first meeting on February 5.
Luthor’s boss said that she gave him leave at her own expense in the summer of 2023 — he told her that he needed to fly to Krasnoyarsk for “family problems.” The man’s colleagues recalled that he talked about the offer to “work” abroad in the “Freedom of Russia” legion. The accused confirmed their testimony in court.
Also on February 5, Vyacheslav Lutor’s mother, who flew in from Krasnoyarsk, was interrogated in the courtroom. She described in detail Luthor's childhood and family life. According to her, the man has an aversion to violence: “He simply cannot hit a person.” He did not serve in the army “due to illness,” the woman added.
“He and I are not from this century — we are very trusting. I couldn’t pass by a single beggar,” the witness said about her son. The mother noted that Luthor was afraid of mobilization and wanted to leave the country. She also said that around the beginning of July, her son stopped communicating, so she contacted the police. There she was told that her son was detained at the airport — he allegedly swore.
10 years for correspondence. How people are tried in cases of treason for trying to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine — an example of a bank employee from St. Petersburg
On July 29 last year, Mediazona discovered on the website of the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow a card about the election of Luthor as a preventive measure in the form of detention. The website of the Moscow courts also contained information about two administrative arrests of the man. On July 11, he was arrested under a protocol for petty hooliganism (Part 2 of Article 20.1 of the Administrative Code). According to the ruling of the Solntsevsky District Court of Moscow, Luthor “expressed obscene language, shouted loudly and waved his arms” inairport.
For the second time, on July 14, the man was arrested for 15 days under a protocol of disobedience to a police officer (Part 1 of Article 19.3 of the Administrative Code). The resolution of the Troitsky District Court stated that Luthor refused to show his passport to the security forces. The location of the man's second arrest is unknown. He should have been released from the special detention center on the day he was sent to the pre-trial detention center.