MOSCOW. Nov 6 (Interfax) - The Russian Supreme Court has upheld the sentence handed down to former Donetsk militia leader Igor Strelkov (Girkin), who was sentenced to four years in a general-security penal colony in a criminal case involving calls for extremist activities, the court told Interfax.
"The sentence of the Moscow City Court of January 25, 2024 and the appellate decision of the First Appellate Court of General Jurisdiction of May 29, 2024 are upheld, the cassation appeal filed by the defense is declined," the court said on Wednesday.
The court thus upheld the judicial acts issued in the case whose reversal was sought by the defense lawyers for Strelkov.
The hearing was held behind closed doors.
The Moscow City Court sentenced Strelkov to four years in a general-security colony, finding him guilty of calling for extremist activities.
The court also banned Strelkov from administering Internet resources for three years.
As was reported at the beginning of the investigation, the claims against Strelkov were brought over two of his posts on Telegram. He pleaded not guilty.
Strelkov is now serving his term in a penal colony in the Kirov region.
Strelkov is one of the former leaders of the Donbass militia. He was defense minister of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) for some time in 2014. He left the DPR after leaving that post.
In November 2022, the Hague District Court sentenced Strelkov in absentia to life in prison for the downing of a Malaysian Boeing in Donbass in 2014, in which 298 people were killed. Strelkov denied his involvement in the crash.