Vladislav Borisenko and Vasily Gavrilishin, accused of setting a draft office on fire in Russia’s Nizhnevartovsk in May are now facing more severe accusations. They are now accused of committing a terrorist attack rather than damaging property and hooliganism, TASS reports.
The two are now facing up to 20 years in prison. Their cases are treated separately by investigators, TASS says. The news agency also notes that this is one of the first cases in the country for alleged arsonists to be treated as terrorists.
The draft office in question was set on fire on 4 May 2022. The arson was committed by two young men using Molotov cocktails, as per CCTV footage. Nobody was hurt in the incident with a flame base of just 1 square metre, the local Emergency Ministry officials reported. Borisenko and Gavrilishin were detained a week later and sent to a pre-trial facility.
Arson attempts at Russian draft offices have become more frequent since the announcement of a “partial mobilisation”. On 30 September, Russian army official Vladimir Tsimlyansky said that arson attempts would be treated as terrorist attacks by the police. The perpetrators may face up to 15 years in jail.
