Russian activist pickets in Yerevan in support of Yuri Mikheev

Alexander Sherchenkov, an activist from St. Petersburg, held a picket in front of the Russian embassy in Yerevan demanding the release of Yuri Mikheyev, who was convicted in Russia for sabotage.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" reported, on June 14, Russian activist Alexander Sherchenkov held a solo picket near the Russian embassy in Yerevan in support of convicted anarchist Ruslan Sidiki.

18:30 07.03.2024

Human rights activists consider the South Caucasus an unreliable refuge for Russians

Armenia and Georgia are not a reliable refuge for those who left Russia for political reasons, since they are highly influenced by Russian special services and there is a risk of extradition to their homeland, Russian human rights activists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" stated.

On June 28, activist Alexander Sherchenkov held a solo picket in front of the Russian embassy in Yerevan. He came out with a poster in support of 19-year-old Yuri Mikheyev, who was sentenced in February to seven years in prison for attempted sabotage, RusNews reported.

The message is illustrated with a photograph in which Alexander Sherchenkov is standing with a poster: "Freedom for Yuri Mikheyev." Cars are visible on a city street behind him; there are no other people in the frame near the picketer.

Yuri Mikheyev was sentenced in February to seven years in prison for attempted sabotage. Brothers Timofey and Matvey Melnikov, accused in the same case, were sentenced to 20 and 19 years in prison, respectively. A Moscow court found the brothers guilty of attempted sabotage, treason, and participating in the activities of a terrorist organization, 360.ru reported on February 18.

According to the court, in 2023, the accused planned to set fire to military equipment on the territory of a military unit. Before their arrest, the Melnikovs were university students; Mikheev was a minor at the time of the crime. They were arrested on November 10, 2023, while attempting to set fire to the equipment. All three pleaded guilty, the publication says.

At the end of February 2022, after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the flow of people leaving Russia increased. One of the countries of relocation was Armenia, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Why did Russians go to Armenia?".

An increase in the number of Russian citizens leaving for Armenia was also recorded in September-October 2022, after mobilization was announced in Russia. 1.4 million people arrived in Armenia in the first 10 months of 2022, and almost half of them were Russian citizens.