About the case: Alexander Valeryevich Skobov is accused of publicly justifying terrorism by posting messages on a Telegram channel, as well as participating in the terrorist community “Forum of Free Russia”* where Skobov shared several texts identical to those on his Telegram channel.

The case is being heard by the 1st Western District Military Court, with Judge Alexander Alexandrovich Khludnev presiding.

The proceedings are conducted via videoconference with the Syktyvkar City Court. On the screen, Skobov is visible in a “glass cage,” along with his attorney Kosnyrev V.V. and a convoy officer. In the courtroom are attorney Karagodina V.Yu. and Senior Prosecutor of the St. Petersburg Prosecutor’s Office Yanovskaya Yu.S.

The presiding judge traditionally begins the session by asking Skobov and his attorney to evaluate the quality of the videoconferencing system. Attorney Kosnyrev confirms that there are no issues, and everything is clearly visible and audible.

The judge then addresses an attendee (Dinar Idrisov) wearing a red Santa-style hat, asking: “Why are men sitting here in hats?” and calling it disrespectful to others. At the same time, the judge ignored a female attendee, who was also wearing a hat and initially thought the comment was directed at her. She objected, saying she was not a man, to which the presiding judge responded, “This doesn’t apply to you”. Some attendees protested, saying they didn’t consider wearing a hat disrespectful. The judge replied that he did not give them the floor and insisted that Idrisov remove his hat, justifying it simply by saying he didn’t like it.

The prosecutor continues presenting evidence. Written materials of the case are being read out, but the prosecutor is occasionally hard to hear due to frequent hesitations, verbal slips, and confusion. Some attendees sitting in the back rows complained about the prosecutor’s “mumbling and rapid speech”. Attorney Kosnyrev also made his “traditional request” for the prosecutor to slow down, saying, “You have a lovely voice, but don’t rush”. The prosecutor thanked him and read more slowly for a while, though the noted issues persisted throughout most of the reading.

Key evidence presented (summarized):

• Investigator’s resolution to admit and attach as evidence a disc with a video recording, “LIVE: How to help Ukraine? | Evgenia Chirikova, Alexander Skobov,” from the YouTube channel “Forum of Free Russia”* dated 26.09.2024.
• Inspection protocol for objects and documents dated 15.04.2024. The items seized during a search at Skobov’s residence on 02.04.2024 were examined, including:
  • A flash drive labeled with “various inscriptions in a foreign language”.
    • Folder “My Materials” containing text files with phrases such as:
      • “Those demanding extremism checks on their ideological and political opponents are merely feeding Putin’s secret police and courts with fresh blood”.
      • “Putin’s fascist regime has committed monstrous crimes not only against the Ukrainian people but also against the Russian people”.
    • Folder “Skobov 2019,” with files including articles such as:
      • “Denouncing Lenin the Villain,”
      • “Society has the right to a harsh response,”
      • “Only the red and white will prevail,” and
      • “Radical Conservatives”.

The prosecutor noted that these articles “criticize the current government, express hostility and animosity toward the Russian people, and disdain the actions of the Russian military”.

• Other files on the flash drive included:
  • “The consciousness of Russian experts is constructed in such a way that it cannot accommodate the notion of anything existing beyond money and military power”.
  • Folder “Swastika,” containing 30 images “clearly illustrating elements of the swastika”.
  • Other documents reflecting “the author’s strong hostility, expressing political hatred toward the current head of state”.
• A mobile phone (Honor) contained 1,537 documents, including:
  • Files titled: “Nazism and War,” “Nazis in Kyiv,” “Don’t Fear Putin’s Death,” “On Putin’s Ideology and Putinism,” and “Against Russia”.
  • Photos, including flyers stating: “The government of murderers must stand trial”.
• A handwritten note read:
  • “Putin has enacted a series of overtly repressive laws, effectively abolishing fundamental political freedoms, such as freedom of speech and assembly. These laws violate recognized international legal norms as well as the Russian Constitution and are therefore illegitimate. Resistance to these laws, including through sabotage and noncompliance, is not only a right but a civic duty”.
• Inspection protocol of objects and documents dated 15.05.2024:
  • Seized items included a mobile phone with applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Signal, and Skype, as well as browsers like Opera and Google.(Note: Facebook and WhatsApp are owned by Meta, which has been declared an extremist organization and banned in the Russian Federation).

The session continued with additional materials being presented, but many in the courtroom appeared fatigued by the lengthy readings and technical difficulties with the prosecutor’s delivery.

Access to the Telegram application is restricted by a password, “making it impossible to conduct a more detailed inspection of the information”. Similarly, “a detailed inspection of the previously mentioned applications cannot be carried out due to the need for software updates and an Internet connection, which may lead to the loss of data”.

Upon examining Signal, it was established that Skobov is registered as “A.V. Skobov” with a specified phone number. A chat titled “Forum of Free Russia”* was discovered, created on 20.10.2023, with 20 participants, including Skobov, Tyutrin, Kasparov, Chirikova, and Gudkov. Participants in the group discuss the organization of Forum of Free Russia* events, participant lists, decisions on invitations, the potential publication of materials in open access, and organizational resolutions adopted at the events.

The following information of interest to the investigation was discovered:

• Messages from 06.11.2023: Chirikova informs the group that she found Estonian businessmen willing to donate to volunteer formations fighting on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), asking for donation details to be shared in the group. An unidentified individual shares the requested details.
• Messages from 08.11.2023: Chirikova informs participants that she is bringing a book about the Estonian “Forest Brothers” to an auction in support of volunteer formations fighting on the side of the UAF.
• Messages from 09.11.2023: The Forum of Free Russia* conducts an auction in support of volunteer formations fighting on the side of the UAF.
• Messages from 20.11.2023: After the auction, it is reported that a total of €53,368 was raised, of which €11,608 was allocated to the “Russian Volunteer Corps”*, €10,908 to the “Siberian Battalion,” and €25,123 to the “Kastus Kalinouski Regiment”.
• Message from Skobov on 01.01.2024 at 00:54: “Happy New Year, and in St. Petersburg, the New Year was an hour ago”.
• Messages from 23.01.2024: Tyutrin informs the group that Forum of Free Russia* provided food rations, medical supplies, and thermal blankets to the “Russian Volunteer Corps”* and attaches a photo showing men in camouflage uniforms in front of boxes and packages containing the delivered supplies. Skobov comments on this news: “And let us be cursed by those who still try not to let the war enter their souls”.
• Messages from 15.02.2024: Skobov is shown to be directly involved in preparing, writing, and discussing the decisions and resolutions of the Forum of Free Russia*.
• Messages from 18.03.2024: Skobov informs the group that he received a registered letter from the prosecutor’s office of the Kalininsky District of St. Petersburg about the initiation of administrative proceedings against him for participating in the activities of the undesirable organization Forum of Free Russia*.

Computer – access to Telegram is restricted by a password. WhatsApp – No messages of interest to the investigation were found. [WhatsApp is owned by Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization and banned in the Russian Federation, ed. note]. Signal:A group chat titled “Forum of Free Russia”* was discovered. Messages in this chat are identical to those found during the inspection of Skobov’s phone. 

Tablet Computer:During the inspection of Telegram, it was established that Skobov is registered under the name “Alexander Skobov,” with his phone number listed. He is part of a group chat titled “Alexander Skobov’s Channel”. In this group, there are 11 participants, with Skobov listed as the owner. When accessing the channel from the account “Alexander Skobov,” the user has full access to all posted data, channel settings, the ability to add participants to a blacklist, and the option to delete the channel entirely. The channel has 917 subscribers and one administrator. Since the account “Alexander Skobov” has full access to the channel and there is only one administrator, the channel is confirmed to belong to the user of the account “Alexander Skobov”. Editorial Group of the “Forum of Free Russia”: A group chat with eight participants was discovered, including Skobov, Ivan Tyutrin, and Daniil Konstantinov. Gallery Section of the Computer: numerous personal photographs of Skobov were found.

Seized Items During the Search of Skobov’s Residence. The “Honor” phone contained numerous personal photographs of Skobov; A flash drive contained various political documents, program installation files, and multiple images of Nazi Germany soldiers and swastikas. A detailed inspection of this and other objects was conducted on April 15, 2024.

• Investigator’s resolution dated September 26, 2024, recognized and attached as evidence items seized during the search of Skobov’s residence, including a Samsung phone, computer, tablet computer, flash drives, business cards, a sheet of paper, and notebooks.

• Telecommunication Data: Information provided by T2 Mobile LLC detailed Skobov’s SIM cards, including numbers, activation dates, and phone connections. A disc with data on his phone connections from January 1, 2022, to April 2, 2024, was included. The numbers were regularly recorded by base stations in St. Petersburg, including on the dates the incriminating posts were made.

• Travel Records: In response to an investigator’s inquiry, details of tickets purchased and used by Skobov for travel between St. Petersburg and Moscow in 2018, 2023, and 2024 were provided, with printouts from the “Rozysk-Magistral” system dated May 30, 2024.

• Response to the investigator’s inquiry regarding the purchase and subsequent use of travel documents by A.V. Skobov for trips from St. Petersburg to Moscow and back in 2018, 2023, and 2024, dated May 30, 2024. A printout from the “Rozysk-Magistral” system is attached.
• Resolution on providing operational data to the investigator dated September 25, 2024. During operational measures concerning Skobov, data was obtained about his crossing of the Russian Federation’s state border between January 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024.

1. Departure from St. Petersburg (Pulkovo) to Armenia on July 9, 2023, with a return flight on July 14, 2023.
2. Departure from St. Petersburg (Pulkovo) to Turkey on March 11, 2023, with a return flight on March 13, 2023.

• Protocol of inspection of internet pages dated June 6, 2024 (Syktyvkar).The page of “Alexander Skobov” on the social network VKontakte was examined. The profile is public, with a photograph of A.V. Skobov set as the avatar. Records were found on the profile acknowledging financial, informational, political, and other support for Ukraine in its military conflict with Russia.

Key Findings:

• The first post accuses Russian military command of deliberately causing humanitarian disasters and committing crimes against civilians. It also calls for resistance and condemns the actions of Russian forces.
• The author criticizes censorship on VKontakte and states that he continues to publish materials despite the risk of persecution.
• The second post urges the international community to take decisive measures against Russian policies, including imposing a full economic and diplomatic blockade. It compares the current situation to historical events of World War II, asserting that compromises and diplomacy will not halt the escalation. The post calls for support to Ukraine, including arms supplies and the establishment of a no-fly zone.

• Response of LLC “VKontakte” to a request from the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia for the Republic of Komi. The response included a link to the page of “Alexander Skobov,” as well as “address, phone number, registration, IP registration data, last login, IP of last login, and phone change history”. A protocol for seizure by an FSB investigator in the presence of witnesses and a specialist dated July 19, 2024, indicated a disk was seized. An inspection protocol for the items (disk) dated August 3, 2024, detailed a file containing the correspondence of the VKontakte social media user “Alexander Skobov” for the period from January 1, 2021, to April 3, 2024. On March 5, 2022, Skobov recommended to a user, “Mikhail Sedunov,” “the best VPN according to several information security experts I trust,” explaining methods for its purchase and use. Sedunov expressed gratitude in response. A ruling on recognizing the disk as material evidence and attaching it to the case was issued.
• A copy of the protocol from a court session of the Syktyvkar City Court dated May 23, 2024. The court considered the issue of preventive measures, and the session was attended by lawyers, a prosecutor, the head of the Investigative Department of the FSB for the Republic of Komi, Skobov’s wife, and “officers escorting Skobov”. The investigator highlighted that during the discussion of preventive measures, the defendant made the following statements: “I called, am calling, and will call on Russian citizens to join volunteer formations within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I transferred money to the Ukrainian Armed Forces for weapons, and I did this openly. I am surprised that the FSB has not yet presented this as an additional charge against me”. During the session, the accused publicly used a Ukrainian patriotic greeting, for which the presiding judge issued a reprimand to Skobov.
• A copy of the ruling on the initiation of a criminal case on charges of crimes under subparagraphs “a,” “b,” and “c” of P. 2, Art. 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, against unidentified persons, with the case accepted for investigation as of October 8, 2024.
• A copy of the ruling on the initiation of a criminal case on charges of crimes under subparagraph “b” of P. 3, Art. 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, against unidentified persons, with the case accepted for investigation as of April 3, 2023. A copy of the ruling on bringing Trepova D.E. as an accused in the said criminal case as of July 10, 2023. Included is a “report regarding publications” titled “Darya Trepova received 27 years in a penal colony in the case of the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg” dated January 25, 2024, and “The Investigative Committee reclassified the criminal case in St. Petersburg as a terrorist act” dated April 3, 2023.
• A protocol for the inspection of web pages dated May 6, 2024. The website “BelTa” was inspected, featuring an Art. titled “Idiot Who Signed Up for This” – Shvets on Organizing a Sabotage at the Airfield,” dated October 3, 2023.
• A copy of the decision by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognizing the “Freedom of Russia Legion”* as a terrorist organization and banning its activities within the territory of the Russian Federation as of March 16, 2023.
• A copy of the ruling on the initiation of a criminal case against Russian citizen D.E. Kapustin on charges of crimes under P. 3, Art. 30; subparagraph “a” of P. 2, Art. 205; P. 1, Art. 205.4; subparagraph “a” of P. 3, Art. 221; and Art. 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, as well as against unidentified persons on charges of crimes under P. 3, Art. 30; subparagraph “a” of P. 2, Art. 205; P. 2, Art. 205.4; and subparagraph “a” of P. 3, Art. 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, with the case accepted for investigation as of March 1, 2023 (Moscow). A copy of the verdict of the 2nd Western District Military Court dated November 16, 2023: Kapustin was found guilty of crimes under P. 1, Art. 205.4; P. 3, Art. 30; subparagraph “a” of P. 2, Art. 205; subparagraph “a” of P. 3, Art. 222.1; Art. 275; and Art. 205.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the first five years to be served in prison and the remainder in a special-regime correctional colony.
• A copy of the ruling on the initiation of a criminal case on charges of crimes under P. 1, Art. 222; P. 1, Art. 221.1; and subparagraph “b” of P. 3, Art. 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, against “unidentified servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, as well as unidentified senior commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other individuals among representatives of the higher military and political leadership of Ukraine,” with the case accepted for investigation as of March 2, 2023 (Moscow).
• Protocol of Internet Page Inspection dated March 18, 2024. The website of the FSB was inspected, specifically the “Unified Federal List of Organizations, including foreign and international organizations, recognized as terrorist organizations in accordance with Russian Federation law”. Among others, the list includes the “Russian Volunteer Corps”* and the “Freedom of Russia Legion”*.
• Expert Report, Findings:

“From the standpoint of psychological and linguistic evaluation, informational material № 12 in its content completely corresponds to informational material № 15. Structurally, informational material № 12 differs from informational material № 15 only by the inclusion of the title ‘Retribution against Darya Trepova’; otherwise, the structure of the analyzed texts is identical”. Statement № 1 contains linguistic and psychological indicators suggesting an affirmation of the ideology and practice of carrying out explosions to influence decisions by government authorities as correct and worthy of support and imitation. Statements № 2 contain linguistic and psychological indicators affirming the ideology and practice of explosions, arson, and other actions that instill fear in the population, endanger human lives, or cause significant property damage to pressure the Russian government to cease its “Special Military Operation” (SMO) in Ukraine as correct and worthy of support and imitation. Statement № 3 contains linguistic and psychological indicators affirming the ideology and practice of an explosion that instills fear in the population and endangers human lives, or causes significant property damage to pressure the Russian government to end its SMO as correct and worthy of support and imitation. Statements № 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 contain linguistic and psychological indicators affirming the ideology and practice of explosions that instill fear in the population, endanger lives, or cause significant property damage in order to destabilize Russian government authorities and influence their decision to end the SMO as correct and worthy of support and imitation. Statements № 6, 12, and 14 do not contain such indicators. None of the objects of analysis (№ 1–15) contain explicit calls to carry out the listed actions. Record № 7 contains linguistic and psychological indicators affirming the ideology, practice, and activities of the “Freedom of Russia Legion”* and the “Russian Volunteer Corps”* as correct and worthy of support and imitation. Statement № 10 includes a call to launch missile strikes on strategically important Russian targets with the aim of overthrowing President Vladimir Putin, aimed at the violent overthrow of the current political regime in Russia. Statement № 14 contains linguistic and psychological indicators of a call to assassinate, or deprive of life, the state official President Vladimir Putin for the purpose of ceasing his state activities.

The court hearing was postponed.

* Organizations/associations are recognized as terrorist entities and their activities are banned in the Russian Federation.