PO refuses to drop the case against Sochi pensioner Atamanchuk

Vladimir Atamanchuk, a pensioner from Sochi, has appealed to the local prosecutor's office (PO) with a demand to stop his criminal prosecution under the article on discrediting the Russian Army, but received a formal reply. Atamanchuk has noted that half of his pension is being withdrawn from him, while he received no official documents from court marshals.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 7, 2022, Vladimir Atamanchuk, an activist, who had been fined twice for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces, was detained on charges of disobeying law enforcers. Last October, a criminal case was opened against Atamanchuk under an article about discrediting the Russian Army. The pensioner complained about law enforcers' pressure, who urged him to reject his advocate in favour of a state-appointed one.

Atamanchuk has explained that he wrote a complaint in April about the criminal case initiated against him on discrediting the Russian Army. "What does it mean to discredit? My statement was not targeted and aimed to discredit anyone. And I never said anything about the army anywhere. I expressed my personal opinion. And this right is enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. What does the army have to do with it? And since when has the dove of peace become a criminal phenomenon in Russia?" Mr Atamanchuk has asked.

"Now I'm sick because of nerves. At my age, it's bad to be nervous," he has stated, adding that it is difficult for him to defend himself because he has no legal education. He has also noted that he has no money for his defence.

He has treated the answer received from the PO as "an indifferent formal reply to a person's appeal for justice and legality."