Russian nationalist Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov), who was sentenced to four years in prison in January on a charge of making public calls for extremist activities, will apply to join Russian troops invading Ukraine, his lawyer told the RBK news agency on April 10.
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Igor Molokhov said that at the moment his client is working on the cancellation of his sentence. The former leader of Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has appealed against his imprisonment. A hearing is scheduled for May 15 in a Moscow court.
According to Molokhov, a written consent of a Russian military unit to make Girkin a commander of one of its platoons has been attached to his client's appeal papers.
Girkin's wife, Miroslava Reginskaya, confirmed that her husband plans to join Russian troops invading Ukraine, adding that a military unit's consent to have him had been obtained in January.
Russian law does not allow persons convicted of extremism to have contracts with the Defense Ministry. However, Girkin's defense team hopes that either Girkin's conviction will be canceled or President Vladimir Putin will grant him clemency.
The 53-year-old was arrested in July 2023 after strongly criticizing Putin in online statements for his handling of the Ukraine invasion. He accused the Kremlin leader of “cowardly mediocrity” and described him as a “nonentity.”
He has also called out Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for making "mistakes" in the invasion and accused him and Putin of “incompetence.”
Girkin last year even called on Putin to transfer power to “someone truly capable and responsible.”
A former officer of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Girkin has also argued for a total military mobilization to ensure Russian victory in the war.
Girkin was a key commander of Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in 2014 and helped Russia annex Ukraine's Crimea that year.
In November 2022, a court in the Netherlands sentenced Girkin and two other defendants to life in prison in absentia in the case of the 2014 shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine. All 298 people onboard died in the attack.
In February, international investigators said there were "strong indications" that Putin was personally involved in the incident.
The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was blown out of the sky on July 17, 2014, amid a conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian armed forces. The victims came from more than a dozen countries, although more than two-thirds were Dutch.
Russia has denied any involvement in the downing of the plane.