‘A classic Putinist trial’ Lyubov Sobol handed one-year suspended sentence for trespassing at the apartment of Navalny’s alleged poisoner
On Thursday, April 15, a Moscow court handed down a one-year suspended sentence to opposition figure Lyubov Sobol for trespassing on the property of Konstantin Kudryavtsev — one of the FSB agents implicated in poisoning Alexey Navalny. Kudryavtsev didn’t testify in the case and he wasn’t present during the trial; his family members, who were considered the victims in the case, testified instead. Following the verdict, Sobol declared the proceedings “a classic Putinist trial” and asserted that she plans to challenge the ruling. The opposition politician also insisted that she still plans to run in the parliamentary elections this fall.
“Where’s the criminal investigation into Navalny’s poisoning?” is written in red letters across Lyubov Sobol’s white t-shirt. There are court bailiffs lined up in front of her table, just like during the previous hearing in the “apartment case”— Sobol is facing criminal charges for “infringing on the inviolability of the home” of Konstantin Kudryavtsev (one of the FSB agents implicated in Alexey Navalny’s August 2020 poisoning). There are seven bailiffs, all in bulletproof vests, and they’re blocking the view of not only the other participants in the proceedings but also of the journalists in the courtroom — this is the Perovsky Court’s way of preventing Sobol from filming the proceedings.
Magistrate Inna Shilobodina takes a little more than half an hour to read out the verdict. In a low voice, she lists the evidence presented by the prosecutor, Konstantin Goloviznin. This includes testimonies from Konstantin Kudryavstev’s family members — allegedly, the police were unable to locate the FSB agent himself, — along with reports from the police and investigators, expert analysis, and a video published on the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Tovarishch Mayor.
Perovsky District Court Press Service
Lyubov Sobol pays no attention to the judge — she’s reading something on her phone. Her lawyer, Vladimir Voronin, isn’t listening either. Nor is the prosecutor. Only Kudryavtsev’s mother-in-law, Galina Subbotina, and his wife, Irina Kudryavtseva, are watching the judge with interest.
Despite the arguments from the defense about the investigation’s numerous violations, the judges deem all of the prosecution’s evidence credible. Sobol turns her back to the judge and takes a selfie with the bailiffs in the background. “No one invited the defendant into the apartment,” Shilobodina says at that moment. The judge rejects the defense’s arguments about the hearing being inadmissible without the participation of Konstantin Kudryavtsev — the sole owner of the apartment.
The judge is convinced that Sobol’s guilt has been proven in full. Shilobodina gives her a one-year provisional sentence of community service, in addition to garnishing 10 percent of her wages. Neither the victims nor Sobol react to the verdict. The judge looks up from her papers:
“Do you understand the verdict?”
“What a shame and a disgrace! Simply a disgrace!” — Sobol answers loudly.
The judge explains sharply that if Sobol fails to report to the probation office or commits any other offenses, including administrative ones, her suspended sentence may be converted into a real one.
“I have no doubt that if the Kremlin says so, that’s it,” Sobol replies.
On the street outside of the courthouse, Sobol tells journalists that the verdict was “obvious to everyone.” Nevertheless, she plans to challenge ruling. “A classic Putinist trial!” she adds. Sobol draws the reporters’ attention to the words on her t-shirt: “The most important question for Russian society,” she underscores, “[Is] what lawlessness is happening with the country’s main politician?”
Asked if she entered Konstantin Kudryavtsev’s apartment or not, the opposition figure repeats that she will only testify on the matter after Kudryavtsev does so himself. She also adds that regardless of the court’s decision and the other criminal case against her, she hasn’t abandoned her plans to run in the State Duma elections this fall.
Story by Kristina Safonova
Translation by Eilish Hart
What’s that?
Criminal charges for trespassing were brought against Lyubov Sobol after she went to the home of FSB agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev and tried to talk to him. The incident took place on December 21, 2020 — the same day Navalny released a video of an alleged conversation with Kudryavtsev, in which the FSB operative detailed the Kremlin’s attempt to poison Navalny with a chemical nerve agent in August 2020. The prosecution maintains that Sobol broke into Kudryavtsev’s apartment by “taking advantage of a trusting” pizza delivery man. The defense insists that Sobol isn’t guilty.
What video?
On January 15, 2021, the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Tovarishch Mayor shared a video that Lyubov Sobol allegedly filmed while entering the apartment of FSB agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev. In the video, a woman who sounds like Sobol can be heard asking an elderly woman holding a pizza box to let her “talk to Konstantin.” She then enters the apartment and looks around a few rooms. Sobol didn’t confirm the authenticity of the video, but her lawyer repeatedly drew the court’s attention to the fact that it’s origin is unknown.
Who are they?
The victims in the case are Konstantin Kurayvtsev’s mother-in-law, Galina Subbotina, his wife Irina Kudryavtseva, and his son, who is a minor.
Navalny’s poisoning
Alexey Navalny was on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow when he fell violently ill on August 20. The plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, where he was hospitalized in a coma; two days later he was transferred to Germany for treatment. On September 2, German officials confirmed that Navalny was poisoned with a substance from the Novichok group of nerve agents. Navalny was discharged from the hospital on September 23. Russia denies any involvement in the poisoning.
The “sanitary case”
A number of Alexey Navalny’s associates, including Lyubov Sobol, are facing criminal charges for violating sanitary and epidemiological restrictions during a pro-Navalny rally in Moscow on January 23. According to the Moscow authorities, 19 people with the coronavirus took part in the rally, thus creating a threat of mass infection.