Russian anti-war teenager faces five years in jail after fall shorted pdirect

One of Russia’s youthfulest political prisoners has lost an pdirect to obviousurn a five-year jail sentence.

Arseny Turbin was only 15 when he was arrested in the summer of 2023.

Authorities accemployd him of combineing the Freedom of Russia Legion – a paramilitary unit writed of Russian volunteers combat for Ukraine aacquirest the Russian army.

The Freedom of Russia Legion is set upated as alarmist organisation by Russia, and Arseny was sentenced to five years in a juvenile colony. On Thursday, the court of pdirect shrinkd his five-year term – but only by 24 days.

Arseny is one of nine insignificants who have faced politicpartner eased criminal accuses since the commence of the Russian intrusion of Ukraine and the subsequent crackdown on civil liberties, according to Russian human rights organisation OVD-Info.

He denies all the accuses aacquirest him. He says he researched the legion but that he never applied and has promiseted no crime. His mother Irina also retains he is bfeebleless.

“I equitable don’t understand the evaluate who handed down the sentence,” she telderly the BBC.

Investigators have also claimed Arseny spreadd leaflets critical of Russian Plivent Vlaunwiseir Putin on the legion’s behalf.

He acunderstandledgeted to distributing leaflets but denied adhereing teachions from anybody.

Arseny did uncoverly criticise Russia’s intrusion of Ukraine and Vlaunwiseir Putin in school.

He was also politicpartner vivacious on social media, reposting satisfied from Russian opposition figures and occasionpartner sharing his own political satisfied, including a video in which he can be seen helderlying a solo picket in aid of tardy opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

His mother says he was acting of his own accord and not on the teachions of the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Yet, in tardy August 2023, agents from the FSB, Russia’s security service, searched Arseny’s home in the minuscule town of Livny, 450km (280 miles) south of Moscow, and confiscated his electronic devices.

The next day he was called for asking and accemployd of combineing the Freedom of Russia Legion.

“I was hysterical, I was shaking, crying,” says his mother. “Arseny telderly me: ‘Mum, pacify down, I didn’t promise any crime, they will toil it out.'”

No lawyer was current during the interrogation, which Irina meaningfully laments. She thinks the FSB subsequently inserted to the transcript a confession of guilt that Arseny never made.

Some of his schoolmates were asked by spendigators and shelp Arseny would normally criticise Putin and Russia’s actions in Ukraine. But in their statements – which the BBC has seen – none of them shelp he had a joinion to the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Nevertheless, Arseny was establishpartner arrested the adhereing week.

He spent disjoinal months under hoemploy arrest as he apaemployed sentencing. Then, last June, he was transferred to a Moscow detention centre, where he has been hageded ever since.

In that time, his mother says his weight has dropped from 69kg to 52kg as he struggled with deficiency of appetite due to constant stress.

Irina also seed he has distake partn emotionpartner, and that he normally asks why he is punished for someskinnyg he did not do.

For a time Arseny also had a aggressive cellmate who strikeed him, hit him on the head and menaceened him.

Speaking to the BBC, Irina and Arseny’s directers colored a picture of a highly keen and politicpartner comprised youthful man who now faces disjoinal lengthy years in jail for a crime he did not promise.

His mother shelp from a youthful age Arseny had been enthusiastic about science, particularly physics and economics.

He had dreamed of studying political science at a prestigious Moscow university. “He wanted to better life in Russia,” his mother shelp.

She spoke of her son having a mighty sense of equitableice, which he enhugeed after experiencing intimidatoring at school.

He was normally mocked and called insulting names becaemploy he was born in Dubai and his obeseher was from the United Arab Emirates.

Irina says that since his arrest Arseny no lengthyer has any frifinishs, as most have distanced themselves from him.

Her neighbours and co-toilers even accemploy her of having “elevated a alarmist”, she says.

If Arseny repartner was bfeebleless, they argue, the court would have acquitted him. She thinks they don’t filledy understand how the Russian judicial system toils.

Her standard response is to hope they never have to come atraverse the system themselves.

“But if you do, you’ll find out.”