Accusation of Dagestani native of setting fire to military commissariat sparks rights defenders' scepticism

Shamil Aliev-Gasanov, a native of Dagestan, is charged with terrorism in connection with the arson of the military commissariat (registration and enlistment office) in Murmansk. Such accusations are intended to intimidate initiators of pacifist actions, human rights defenders have pointed out.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that after the announcement of mobilization, cases of arson of military commissariats have repeatedly occurred, including in Southern Russia.

The Second Western District Military Court has received the case of Shamil Aliev-Gasanov, 19, a native of Dagestan. According to investigators, at night on May 14, he set fire to the building of the military commissariat. He told law enforcers that he had done it because of threats and blackmail. He was accused of a terror act, the human rights organization "Solidarity Zone" then reported.

Svetlana Gannushkina*, the head of the "Civic Assistance" Committee* is sure that the accusations of committing a crime by a "group of individuals" and receiving "instructions from Ukrainian curators" are intended to intimidate potential initiators of pacifist actions. However, in her opinion, the arsons show that authorities' policies are yielding no results.

Pacifist actions are inefficient, despite the increase in the number thereof, said Elena Popova, the coordinator of the Movement of Conscientious Objectors to Military Service, adding that more should be done to educate people on how to avoid being sent to the special military operation (SMO) zone.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.