Press Release, 17.10.2024

Photo: Vasily Neustroyev / Photo by the United Press Service of the Courts of St. Petersburg

Yabloko member and historian Vasily Neustroyev completely refused to admit his guilt on all the charges brought against him at the hearings of the St. Petersburg City Court, calling the criminal case political persecution, and everything that was happening as having nothing to do with either justice or common sense. Neustroyev also once again categorically denied his participation in the youth movement Vesna, which had been added to the register of extremists by the authorities. The next court session is planned on 23 October.

“I do not admit my guilt in the acts incriminated to me. I believe that my role in the materials of this case not only lacks specification and individualisation, but it is simply unclear. It is impossible to establish my role in these events from the materials presented by the preliminary investigation; there is no evidence or specific facts directly related to the commissioning of the acts imputed to me. This criminal case is nothing more than political persecution,” Vasily Neustroyev said.

Vasily Neustroyev, a historian, election observer and member of the St. Petersburg Yabloko, has been in pretrial detention prison since 6 June, 2023, on a fabricated criminal case. He is accused under six articles of the Criminal Code. Vasily Neustroyev has been recognised as a political prisoner by the Memorial movement.

In June 2024, Vasily Neustroyev’s arrest was extended despite the fact that Yabloko had collected and handed over to Neustroyev’s defence 139 guarantees from party members and supporters from Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Pskov region, Kazan, and Novosibirsk, including guarantees signed by the party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov and the Chairman of the regional branch Alexander Shishlov. Vasily’s 80-year-old grandmother, Tatyana Nikolayevna Neustroyeva, made a statement requesting bail. She offered to provide bail, and also said that, apart from Vasily, there would be no one to look after her and her husband, who has a disability.