MOSCOW. Jan 22 (Interfax) - The Moscow District Military Court ruled on Tuesday to sentence Oleg Dmitriyev, Sergei Ozerov, and Oleg Ivanov to lengthy prison terms for belonging to the extremist nationalist group Artpodgotovka (Artillery Preparation) and attempting to attack government offices in Moscow, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courthouse.
"Dmitriyev and Ozerov shall be sentenced to eight years and Ivanov to seven years in a high-security penitentiary," the court sentence reads.
The investigation said the defendants planned to use Molotov cocktails to attack government offices in the center of Moscow on November 5, 2017.
The defendants have been found guilty of preparing to commit a terrorist attack. It was reported that during the presentation of arguments, the prosecutor dropped the charge of affiliation with a terrorist community.
The court also ordered one year of restriction of freedom for each defendant after they serve their prison sentences.
Defense lawyers said they would appeal the sentence.
The unregistered interregional association Artpodgotovka and an Internet project with the same name were created by Russian citizen Vyacheslav Maltsev "to organize a revolution in Russia," the investigation found.
The members of the group planned "high-profile extremist actions by setting fire to administrative buildings with incendiary liquids and attacking police officials to provoke mass unrest," according to special services.