The Military Court of Appeal upheld the life sentence of Alexander Pogorelov, who was convicted of the murder of battalion commander Arsen Pavlov with the call sign “Motorola” and the preparation of an assassination attempt on the first president of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko. This was stated in court materials reviewed by RIA Novosti.
Reports stated that the Court of Appeal rejected the defense complaints and left the ruling unchanged an agency.
The investigation established that in 2014, Ukrainian Security Service officers organized a network of agents to kill Zakharchenko. Pogorelov, on instructions from the special services, followed him and in August 2017 blew up a toilet in a restaurant that the President of the Republic often visited. The explosives were then discovered.
In 2016, Pogorelov placed an explosive device on the roof of an elevator car in Pavlov’s house. On October 16, an accomplice detonated the bomb, killing Motorola.
In September 2023, the Prosecutor of the Military Court of the Southern District issued an indictment in the cases of the attempted assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko and the bombing of Arsen Pavlov. Alexander Pogorelov, Vasily Churilov, Alexander Tymoshenko and Artem Yin were charged under several articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Pogorelov was charged with committing a terrorist attack, attempted murder, assaulting a government official, and participating in a terrorist group.
In June 2024, the court sentenced Pogorelov to life imprisonment; Other defendants received sentences ranging from 12 to 17 years.