A group of law enforcers have demanded entry into the apartment where Ilya Romanov, a disabled man who used to be a political prisoner in the past, lives — during a raid in search for men subject to mobilisation, Romanov’s ex-wife Larisa has told Novaya Gazeta. Europe.
Ilya Romanov in court. Photo: avtonom.org
“My ex-husband is dependent on me, he is a disabled person of the highest category, he moves around in a wheelchair and he has no arms. His left arm has been amputated, and his right one has been paralysed after a stroke. He was born in 1967,” she said. Romanov is assisted by a female nurse, a native of Tajikistan.
On Sunday, people wearing uniforms started knocking on the apartment door. “They shouted through the door that they were from the military enlistment office, and there were also cops. They demanded that the door be opened to inspect the apartment. They shouted: “Do you have any men there?” Larisa says. The nurse refused to let them in at first, but they continued to pound on the door. When they were allowed inside, they examined Romanov, asked the nurse if there were any more men in the apartment, and then left.
Romanov is only visited by his ex-wife and their daughter. The nurse’s daughter, 7, also lives in the apartment. The local police is without a doubt aware that no one except for the disabled Romanov and the two lives there, Larisa says.
Romanov is an anarchist who spent around 20 years behind bars altogether. He was charged with “spreading calls for overthrowing the constitutional order,” as well as transportation of drugs and weapons. He suffered a stroke in October 2019, but he was only allowed to see his lawyer after complaining to the Strasbourg Court. Romanov was released in April 2020 after a medical commission ruled that he was unfit to serve his sentence due to his poor health.
