Ruslan Zinin, Russian national who opened fire against a military commissioner in a draft office in the town of Ust-Ilimsk, Irkutsk region, has been charged with terrorism, human rights project Solidarity Zone reports.
At the end of September 2022, Zinin was arrested for an attempt on the life of a law enforcement employee and illegal purchasing and storing of weapons.
Solidarity Zone adds that the charges were not aligned with Zinin’s actions, seeing as a military commissioner is not considered an employee of law enforcement. Thus, the investigation changed the charge to committing a “terrorist attack”.
“Formally, this charge is less heavy — it doesn’t stipulate life imprisonment, unlike the [attempt on the life of a law enforcement employee charge]. However, the issue is that under the ‘terrorism’ article there cannot be a jury trial, a punishment has to be given, at least the lowest possible one, and a part of the appointed term has to be served in a prison. And that’s not even mentioning a bunch of smaller violations of the rights of the accused if they are tried as a ‘terrorist,’” the human rights project explains.
Zinin now faces from 12 to 20 years of imprisonment.
On 26 September 2022, 25-year old Zinin opened fire in the local draft office. Alexander Eliseev, chief of the draft commission, was injured in the shooting. He was hospitalised “in critical condition” and discharged 1.5 months later, according to Solidarity Zone.
Zinin’s decision to start shooting had to do with a draft notice received by his cousin. A short time before that, Zinin’s friend was killed in the war in Ukraine. In the end, Zinin’s cousin was not mobilised, Solidarity Zone notes.
