MOSCOW, July 24 (RAPSI) - Ruslan Kostylenkov charged in a case against activists of the New Greatness (“Novoe Velichie”) extremist movement asked for acquittal or leniency of all defendants during his last statement in court on Friday, RAPSI reports from the Lyublinsky District Court of Moscow.

Moreover, all defendants who spoke in court on Friday denied their guilt.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 6.

Four defendants, Ruslan Kostylenkov, Vyacheslav Kryukov, Dmitry Poletayev and Petr Karamzin are in detention. Three other alleged members of the movement, Maria Dubovik, Anna Pavlikova and Maxim Roshchin are under house arrest.

One more accused person, who had been placed under house arrest, Sergey Gavrilov managed to escape and was put on a wanted list. His case was returned to the prosecution.

Alleged activists of the extremist movement were arrested in March 2018. Investigators stated that the defendants followed far-right ideas and that their leader claimed that he planned to establish a new order in Russia.

The New Greatness case became a subject of public controversy because the defense has information that the movement itself was organized by a law enforcement officer.