Vladimir Zolotarev

A resident of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a taxi driver, he participated in protest rallies. In March 2022, he was stopped while driving by traffic police officers, after which, according to the investigation, Zolotarev hit Senior Lieutenant Dmitrii Feldman in the face with his head. Zolotarev himself claims that during the arrest his arms were "twisted" and from the pain he "leaned back and accidentally hit" the back of his head in the traffic policeman's face. A case of violence against a representative of authority (part 1 of the article 318 of the Criminal Code) was initiated against him, after which he was placed under house arrest. On 4 June Zolotarev set fire to the entrance of the National Guard of the Russian Federation department. Later under questioning he explained that he wanted to protest against the war in this way. The next day he was detained and taken into custody, charged with attempted terrorist act. Later a case of preparation to commit a terrorist act (part 1 of the article 205 of the Criminal Code with application of part 1 of the article 30 of the Criminal Code) was also initiated. According to the investigation version, in March, when Zolotarev was stopped by traffic police officers, he told them that he was going to open the windows of police and Federal Security Service departments with a tire iron and set them on fire with petrol (the tire iron and canisters with petrol were found in his boot). This accusation Zolotarev denies completely.
In March 2023 the prosecutor's office did not approve the indictment in his case. In May the case went to court. During the hearing the episode, which was previously qualified as an attempt to commit a terrorist act, was qualified as the actual commission of a terrorist act. On 28 July 2023 Zolotarev was sentenced to 18 years in a strict regime penal colony.
In June 2024 it became known that the penal colony's administration did not give out the letters addressed to Zolotarev.

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