A Russian tribunal connected Wednesday upheld the beingness condemnation of Alexander Permyakov, who was convicted of injuring pro-Kremlin writer Zakhar Prilepin and sidesplitting his operator successful a car bombing successful May 2023.
Prilepin, a salient Russian writer and outspoken protagonist of the warfare against Ukraine, was injured successful the attack, which killed his driver. Permyakov was sentenced successful September connected charges that included committing a "terrorist act," the state-run RIA Novosti quality bureau reported.
The tribunal heard that Permyakov, who holds some Russian and Ukrainian citizenship, tracked Prilepin's movements and placed 2 explosive devices nether the roadworthy adjacent the writer's location successful the Nizhny Novgorod region. Permyakov reportedly admitted successful tribunal that Ukraine's SBU information work had promised him $20,000 for assassinating Prilepin.
During the entreaty hearing, Permyakov's defence highlighted his practice with investigators, including providing accusation astir a hidden weapons stash and the determination of an unexploded device. However, the tribunal rejected the appeal, affirming that Permyakov would service the archetypal 5 years of his condemnation successful a prison, wherever conditions are harsher than successful a penal colony.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of orchestrating aggregate attacks and assassinations targeting salient figures wrong Russia. Ukraine has not formally claimed work for the onslaught connected Prilepin, though SBU main Vasyl Maliuk called the writer a "real warfare criminal" successful a televised interview.
Maliuk claimed past twelvemonth that the detonation near Prilepin with terrible injuries, including harm to his pelvis and legs, and suggested helium had mislaid his genitals. Prilepin, however, denied the second claim, stating that portion helium suffered galore fractures and a superior caput injury, different assertions astir his information were false.
The 49-year-old writer is known for his novels inspired by his work with Russian forces successful Chechnya and his rank successful a banned nationalist group. He besides fought alongside separatist forces successful eastbound Ukraine successful 2014.
After Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, Prilepin joined different pro-Kremlin figures successful calling for the dismissal of taste elites they deemed unpatriotic. In January 2023, helium signed a declaration to service with the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) successful Ukraine.
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