01 April 2023, 23:19
Case of Rostov scientist Maxim Rachkov on fakes about Russian Army sent to court
The Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) has reported on the completion of the investigation into the case of fakes about the Russian Army initiated against Maxim Rachkov, a scientist from the city of Rostov-on-Don; the case has been sent to the court. Maxim's wife said that after the examination, the charge was mitigated.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Rachkov was arrested in connection with the spread of fakes about the Russian Armed Forces in the VKontakte social network, human rights defenders reported earlier. They declared Rachkov to be a political prisoner and demanded his release.
After the start of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, Rachkov left Russia with his family; and in last March, when his post appeared in the social network, he was in Turkey, but then returned to Russia. On July 21, 2022, the activist was detained and placed into the SIZO (pre-trial prison). Rachkov is accused of having a subjective motive of "political hatred", which significantly aggravates the charge against him, human rights defenders have noted.
According to investigators, in March 2022, the defendant spread deliberately false information in the social network about the use of the Russian Armed Forces. Besides, in July 2022, he "illegally acquired and stored some narcotic drug."
Initially, the case was initiated under the article on the dissemination of "fakes" motivated by political hatred (provides up to 10 years in prison). However, after the examination, the case was reclassified to part 1 of the same article, which provides for up to five years of freedom deprivation.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 31, 2023 at 08:14 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: Caucasian Knot
