ST. PETERSBURG. Feb 12 (Interfax) - An activist has ended up with a four-year prison sentence for being among cultural heritage activists who are accused of injuring policemen in a clash a year ago, Interfax was told at a court on Tuesday.
Denis Lyovkin, who was convicted by St. Petersburg's Leninsky District Court, was in a group of young people who styled themselves "city defenders" and in February 2013 tried to seize control of a warehouse building at Warsaw Station, one of the city's rail terminals, and, according to messages on LiveJournal, planned to occupy it until it received architectural monument status.
The group also allegedly tried to prevent the owner of the building, the Adamant company, from doing its routine business.
Police detained 20 people, some of whom resisted and injured three officers. Three of the activists, including Lyovkin, were charged with "violence against a person vested with authority" and infliction of heavy injuries. The other 17 were accused of minor offenses.
The Gradozashchita (City Defense) organization claimed responsibility for the raid.