A Russian court today sentenced an ex-soldier and a former rescuer to 19 years in prison for throwing Molotov cocktails at a town hall to protest against conscription for the war in Ukraine.

It is the heaviest sentence yet imposed for such attacks on official buildings, which have multiplied across Russia since the start of the offensive against Ukraine.

The two men, Roman Nasriev and Alexei Nuriev, were convicted by a military court in Yekaterinburg (Urals) mainly of “terrorist action” by a gang, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.

According to the investigators, in mid-October, Roman Nasriev and Alexei Nuriev, who were then working in the National Guard and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, respectively, had broken a glass pane on the ground floor of the town hall of Bakal, a small town in the district, during the night. Chelyabinsk.

They then threw Molotov cocktails, but without causing casualties or major damage to this building, which also housed a recruiting office.

The two defendants did not deny the facts, but rejected the accusation of an act of terrorism, arguing that they wanted to denounce the campaign in Ukraine.

“I just wanted to show that in our city there are people who oppose the conscription and the ‘special military operation'” in Ukraine, Nureyev, who is cited by the non-governmental organization Zona Solidarnosti, said during the trial.

The two men, who are old friends, played together in a rock band, according to Russian media.

Dozens of similar anti-war attacks on public buildings have occurred in Russia since the start of the attack in Ukraine, but the charges brought against them and the sentences imposed have so far been less severe.

Russian authorities have equipped themselves with an extensive legislative arsenal to punish those who oppose the invasion. Hundreds of people who have expressed their dissent have already been sentenced to fines or prison terms.

A Russian court today sentenced an ex-soldier and a former rescuer to 19 years in prison for throwing Molotov cocktails at a town hall to protest against conscription for the war in Ukraine.

It is the heaviest sentence yet imposed for such attacks on official buildings, which have multiplied across Russia since the start of the offensive against Ukraine.

The two men, Roman Nasriev and Alexei Nuriev, were convicted by a military court in Yekaterinburg (Urals) mainly of “terrorist action” by a gang, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.

According to the investigators, in mid-October, Roman Nasriev and Alexei Nuriev, who were then working in the National Guard and the Ministry of Emergency Situations respectively, had broken a glass pane on the ground floor of the town hall of Bakal, a small town in the district, during the night. Chelyabinsk.

They then threw Molotov cocktails, but without causing casualties or major damage to this building, which also housed a recruiting office.

The two defendants did not deny the facts, but rejected the accusation of an act of terrorism, arguing that they wanted to denounce the campaign in Ukraine.

“I just wanted to show that in our city there are people who oppose the conscription and the ‘special military operation'” in Ukraine, Nureyev, who is cited by the non-governmental organization Zona Solidarnosti, said during the trial.

The two men, who are old friends, played together in a rock band, according to Russian media.

Dozens of similar anti-war attacks on public buildings have occurred in Russia since the start of the attack in Ukraine, but the charges brought against them and the sentences imposed have so far been less severe.

Russian authorities have equipped themselves with an extensive legislative arsenal to punish those who oppose the invasion. Hundreds of people who have expressed their dissent have already been sentenced to fines or prison terms.