MOSCOW, August 12 (RAPSI, Alexei Afonsky) - Alexander Razumov, an alleged recruiter of the Right Sector, a Ukrainian extremist organization, pled not guilty of recruiting Russian citizens to participate in the conflict with the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics (DPR and LPR) and inciting hatred online, RAPSI reports from the Moscow City Court on Wednesday.
This Wednesday, the court held the first hearing on the merits when the prosecutor announced the indictment. Razumov is being charged with recruiting Russian citizens to participate in an armed conflict with DPR and LPR, as well as inciting ethnic and ideological hatred online.
Investigators found that between March and May 2014, Razumov was a trainee at the Right Sector training center, after which he returned to Russia.
Back home, he tried to recruit several acquaintances from the law enforcement.
Razumov’s lawyer claims that her client expressed his own opinion about the events in Ukraine via social network posts that are used as evidence of recruitment attempts.
The criminal case against Razumov who, according to the Investigative Committee, tried to recruit Russians for the Ukrainian extremist organization, was forwarded to court in early July. The investigators claim that between March and May 2014 Razumov was in Ukraine to undergo military and ideological training with the Right Sector, after which he returned to Russia to find recruits.
The Right Sector is a Ukrainian association of radical nationalist organizations. In January and February 2014 they clashed with police and seized administrative buildings in Kiev. Since April 2014, the Right Sector was involved in fighting the protest movement in eastern Ukraine.
In November 2014, Russia’s Supreme Court declared Right Sector an extremist group and banned its activity in Russia. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Right Sector leader Dmitry Yarosh for the alleged incitement of terrorism.
In January 2015, Right Sector was added to the Russian register of prohibited organizations.
