The court sentenced one of the leaders of the Kharkov antimaydan to six years in prison

Yuri Apukhtin found guilty of organizing mass riots and calls to overthrow the constitutional order in 2014

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In Kharkov Kiev district court sentenced to 6 years imprisonment of the leader of the movement “South-East” Yuri Apukhtina, which in spring 2014 was one of the leaders of the local Maidan. About it reports the UNIAN.

The court found Apukhtina guilty of committing crimes under part 1 article 294 (mass riots) and part 3 of article 109 (appeals to overthrow the constitutional order) of the Criminal code of Ukraine.

The court found proved the fact that Apukhtin 8 April 2014 publicly called for the break-in of buses with militiamen who carried out protection of a public order in the square of Freedom and in the building of the Kharkiv regional state administration, during several meetings urged not to recognize the current government and organized to fight against her, seeking the federalization of the state and of the administrative education, which was to include the southern and Eastern regions of Ukraine.

The non-recognition by Apuhtina of guilt, the court regarded as a desire to avoid responsibility.

On set of crimes the court has appointed Apuhtina a sentence of 6 years imprisonment. Before the sentence comes into legal force, the court found Apuhtina a measure of restraint in form of detention for two months, until July 22.

In turn, the defendant said that he did not recognize the verdict and added that involved in bringing him to justice forfeit.

Lawyer Apukhtina Dmitry Tikhonenkov interpreted the court decision as politically motivated.

“I see that this sentence is unfounded. As a citizen I’m just outraged. For me this is a clear political persecution. Everything today read Apukhtina, you can take 2014, the Maidan and all the people that were there, that’s to blame, but not Apuhtina today,” said Tikhonenkov.


We will remind, in March of 2017 participants of mass riots in April 2014, which had seized the building of Kharkiv regional state administration, was sentenced to five years in prison.