Russian court upholds 5-year gulag sentence for teen 'Minecraft terrorist' - TVP World

There is simply a well-known Russian saying that goes “You cannot comprehend Russia by employing reason”.

It is so hard to comprehend that the Russian Federation’s Supreme Court would uphold a condemnation primitively issued by First Eastern District Military Court successful the Krasnoyarsk Territory, which sentenced the then-16-year-old to imprisonment.

What was the quality of the crimes committed by Uvarov and his 2 co-conspirators of the aforesaid age?

The 3 were primitively arrested successful 2020, astatine the tender property of 14, portion distributing leaflets to enactment Azat Miftakhov, a mathematician, who was successful custody connected politically motivated charges and sentenced successful 2021 to six years. The leaflets had besides included slogans speechmaking “The [Russian] authorities is the superior terrorist”.

The investigators had confiscated their phones, wherever they recovered correspondences showing the boys had criticised the FSB and were discussing reading, what the FSB termed, “banned books”.

But that was not all.

According to the bloodhounds astatine the Russian Federal Security Service, betwixt October 2019 and June 2020, the 3 teenagers had “united into a radical for the consequent associated implementation of violent activities”. They were besides further charged with “training successful bid to transportation retired violent activities”.

Specifically, they had organised an underground violent compartment readying to undermine the Russian authorities by blowing up the FSB HQ.

And this they would archetypal person to physique themselves… In Minecraft. An open-world, sandbox, online video game, which successful wide strokes virtually amounts to astir digging holes successful the crushed and gathering and wrecking worldly up. Yes, each successful virtual reality.

And arsenic for “training successful bid to transportation retired violent activities”: the complaint was based connected them having fun, arsenic teenagers do, mounting disconnected firecrackers successful abandoned buildings.

The FSB is the successor to the infamous KGB. In the KGB 1 of the requirements to service had been “a chill caput and a lukewarm heart”.

Hence we tin present reason the requirements to service successful the FSB are to beryllium brainless and heartless.

Bear successful mind, this each started 2 years ago, successful 2020, earlier Russia invaded Ukraine and the Kremlin had past said that anyone who calls the warfare successful Ukraine thing other different than a “special subject operation”, volition beryllium spreading disinformation astir Russian Federation’s subject and would beryllium liable to walk up to 15 years successful prison.

Prosecutors had sought 9 years successful situation for Uvarov and six years successful situation for the different defendants. His “co-conspirators” plead blameworthy and received 3 and 4 years of probation each.

Uvarov refused to co-operate oregon plead guilty. He spent 11 months successful pretrial detention earlier helium was temporarily released to decorativeness ninth people astatine school.

In his last connection astatine the proceedings connected February 9, Uvarov again rejected the charges and added that if helium is imprisoned, helium “will service the condemnation with a cleanable conscience and dignity.”

“It was achy for maine to spot however my state oppresses people, civilian rights activists, who privation the champion for the state and basal for its well-being. Now, unfortunately, I americium experiencing myself the despotism of the unfair collaborators of the system,” Uvarov past said.

He was sentenced to 5 years.

In May, the subject tribunal of entreaty upheld the sentence, portion the authoritative argued for Uvarov’s condemnation to beryllium accrued to 9 years. In July, helium was sent to an acquisition colony aft 16 months successful a pre-trial detention centre up to that point. The adjacent measurement volition beryllium to nonstop Uvarov to a penal colony for adults. With thieves, murderers, and rapists.

It seems that the clip already spent successful the Russian penal strategy has somewhat breached the young man’s spirit. Or astatine slightest helium learned to accidental what the authorities privation to hear.

“I deliberation 5 years successful situation is excessively cruel,” Uvarov said erstwhile his lawsuit made it each the mode to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. “I repented, corrected myself and nary longer program to travel into the presumption of the authorities and interruption the law.”

In Russia, 16-year-old Nikita Uvarov, who wanted to stroke up the FSB gathering successful Minecraft, was sentenced to 5 years successful prison.

"I americium not unsafe to society. 5 years of imprisonment is excessively cruel. I person already repented," Nikita said successful court.

Now the FSB tin slumber peacefully. pic.twitter.com/3o6yO79OE4

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Too precocious for that, Nikita. Now, Mother Russia volition clasp you successful situation until your condemnation runs retired oregon until you determine that your lone mode retired is to articulation Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries successful speech for parole aft six months connected the frontline successful Ukraine for survivors.

And erstwhile you deliberation astir the batch that befell the young man, different than focusing connected the “heinous crimes” helium was sentenced for, instrumentality look astatine the greater picture, and see the effort, time, and resources, that the Russian authorities apparatus enactment into locking up a teen connected those charges.

But bash not dwell connected it excessively agelong unnecessarily, due to the fact that arsenic we had already established astatine the outset, you cannot endeavour to comprehend Russia by employing reason.