The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Denis Muryga, a fighter of the Ukrainian Aidar battalion (an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation and banned) to 16 years in a strict regime colony for undergoing training in terrorist activities and participation in an illegal armed group. Earlier, the defense of Denis Muryga emphasized that the training lasted two and a half days, and illegal participation in Aidar three months, and asked the court to impose a lenient sentence. Hearing the court decision, the defendant, who previously admitted his guilt, could not hold back his tears.
A military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 39-year-old Denis Muryga (call sign Shrek), a fighter of the Ukrainian Aidar battalion, to 16 years in a strict regime colony for participating in an illegal armed formation and undergoing training in terrorist activities (part 2 of article 208 and art. 205.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Little is known about Denis Muryga. As reported in court, he has two citizenships – Ukraine and Russia. Until 2015, Denis Muryga worked in the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Has a higher education, divorced, raised a minor child.
According to investigators, in 2015 Denis Muryga joined an illegal armed formation, the Aidar Battalion, where he was given a military uniform, weapons and ammunition.
For about three days, the fighter was engaged in physical training at a training camp. In addition, there he was trained in close combat tactics and the use of weapons. Subsequently, Denis Muryga performed the duties of guarding the Aidara camp.
There is no data on how long Denis Muryga was in the battalion, however, within the framework of the case, he was charged with participation in an illegal armed formation for three months – from January to March 2015 (later Aidar was legalized by being included in the armed forces of Ukraine ).
Denis Muryga was detained at the border of the Rostov region on March 31, 2022. According to him, he was fined 3,000 rubles. for violating the border crossing, then arrested for 12 days for violating public order. After that, Denis Muryga said, he was kept in the Taganrog pre-trial detention center. In the current criminal case, the “Aidar” was detained in May 2022.
In court, Denis Muryga fully agreed with the accusation. The prosecutor in the debate asked to appoint the defendant 18 years in a penal colony. The defense, in turn, insisted that Denis Muryga had been in the training camp for two and a half days, and asked the court to take into account the nature of the training.
“Several hours of medical training and several hours of action by an instructor on close combat tactics with the enemy. There was no handling of explosives, weapons were issued only once, when they were put on duty, ”emphasized lawyer Ekaterina Nosaleva.
The defender also stated that the Crimean Denis Muryga never had radical views. According to her, the accused joined “Aidar” only for the sake of receiving a salary and housing, and he never entered the “top” of the battalion.
“My client fully agreed with the charges. During the investigation, he told about all the participants of Aidar known to him, ”Ms. Nosaleva noted. She asked the court to assign the maximum possible lenient sentence to Denis Muryga.
In the last word, Denis Muryga said that he sincerely repents. “While in Ukraine (in 2015. .-“ Kommersant ”), due to the circumstances, having lost my job, having no permanent place of residence and material means of subsistence, I decided to go to serve in the armed forces. Specifically, there was no choice in which unit to go. I needed to survive. I did not have the opportunity to return to my historical homeland, to the Crimea, due to the fact that the border was closed, ”he explained.
Denis Muryga stressed that when he was in Aidar, the battalion did not take part in the hostilities and most of the time its fighters were at the training grounds.
“I want to say that there is no blood on my hands, no one was hurt by my actions. Neither mentally nor physically. I never adhered to nationalist views. And there is confirmation of this – with the beginning of the SVO, I did not stay in Ukraine, I did not take up arms, ”he stressed.
Listening to the verdict, Denis Muryga could not hold back his tears. After the announcement of the court decision, he told the lawyer that he could not believe what he heard. His sister came to support Denis Muryga, but neither she nor the lawyer Ekaterina Nosaleva began to communicate with the press.
