Russian nationalists sentenced to life imprisonment

Two life sentences and 24 years of strict regime — to such penalties the Moscow Regional Court sentenced three members of the "Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists" (BORN) on April 21. They are accused of murders, weapons possession, creation of an extremist community, and other crimes committed for ideological motives. Another defendant was acquitted: according to the jury, prosecutors failed to prove either his involvement in the murders and attempted murder, or his membership in BORN. This organization, in particular, claimed responsibility for the murder of Moscow City Court judge Eduard Chuvashov, several anti-fascists, lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova.

The BORN case was heard by a jury. It was they who, over several months, examined all the circumstances related to the attempted murders and murders, for which the investigation blamed the four defendants. And ultimately, it was the jurors who determined whether the guilt of Mikhail Volkov, Vyacheslav Isayev, Maxim Baklagin, and Yuri Tikhomirov was proven. The panel acquitted the latter. The jury found Volkov, Isayev, and Baklagin worthy of leniency on most counts. Furthermore, according to the jury, prosecutors failed to prove Baklagin's guilt in the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer — he was acquitted on this count, but for other crimes, Baklagin, like Isayev, was sentenced to life imprisonment. Volkov was sentenced to 24 years in prison, the first 10 of which he must spend in a prison, and the remainder in a strict regime colony.

According to the head of the Russian information and analytical center SOVA, Alexander Verkhovsky, the BORN case is one where there are almost no complaints about the investigation:

— Of course, when a group case is considered, there are always some dark spots, and here they remained too, but overall, it's a well-investigated case. BORN was not, strictly speaking, an organization in the full sense of the word. It was, rather, a project, as is customary to say today. Not all the people who ended up in the dock even communicated with each other somewhat regularly. But this did not prevent them from carrying out some coordinated actions, discussing specific attacks, and implementing them. As is customary in such an environment, it is, rather, a collection of personal connections plus the readiness of people for serious crimes. Serious not only in the sense of severity, but also in the sense that a serious investigation is expected, and therefore, they take risks. Not everyone in the neo-Nazi environment is actually ready for this. But here were people who went for it. At the same time, BORN was closely connected with the legally existing nationalist organization "Russian Image." Suffice it to say that several years before BORN there was a large neo-Nazi organization, which was called — "National Socialist Society," which perfectly combined open political activity even with much more extensive criminal activity.

For a long time, the existence of the "Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists" was doubted not only by law enforcement representatives but also by researchers of far-right associations' activities. It was believed that BORN was nothing more than a brand used by ultra-rightists to declare themselves — to prove their power and influence. However, after the trial in the case of the 2009 murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, which resulted in a life sentence for Nikita Tikhonov, accused of this crime, investigators received new information. It was provided by Tikhonov himself, who signed a pre-trial agreement and promised to testify against other BORN members.

Tikhonov recounted that in 2008 he created the "Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists," which included his cohabitant Yevgenia Khasis (also convicted for her involvement in the murder of Markelov and Baburova), Ilya Goryachev, Alexander Parynov, Mikhail Volkov, Maxim Baklagin, Vyacheslav Isayev, Yuri Tikhomirov, and Alexey Korshunov. The latter accidentally blew himself up with a grenade in October 2011, which he always carried with him in case of police detention. According to Tikhonov, BORN members committed about a dozen murders in Moscow. Their victims, in addition to Markelov and Baburova, included world Thai boxing champion Muslim Abdulaev, member of the "Black Hawks" group Rasul Khalil, taxi driver Saso Khachikyan, anti-fascists Fyodor Filatov, Ilya Dzhaparidze, and Ivan Khutorskoy nicknamed "Lomota." BORN members are linked to attempted murders of precinct police officer Gagik Benyaminyan and Ramazan Nurichuyev. The investigation believes that it was BORN members who killed Moscow City Court judge Eduard Chuvashov in April 2010.

For these testimonies, Tikhonov received an additional 18 years on top of his life sentence. Goryachev's case has been separated into a distinct proceeding and is about to go to court. Parynov has been declared wanted, Isayev and Baklagin were sentenced to life imprisonment, Volkov to 24 years, and Tikhomirov was acquitted.

The first victim of BORN was the anti-fascist Fyodor Filatov, however, the first publications about the "Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists" appeared in the press after Korshunov and Parynov attacked migrant Salakhidin Azizov on December 6, 2008. They decapitated him. Tikhonov kept the head on his balcony for two days, then took it to a park, photographed it (this photo was sent via email to human rights organizations), and then left it on the porch of the Mozhaisky administration. He attached a note to the head, conveying greetings from nationalists and threats to officials.

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