Volkov Andrey Aleksandrovich

On March 31, 2022, the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case on obstruction of journalistic activity of propagandist Vladimir Solovyov. Later, the charge was reclassified as an attempt to organize the physical elimination of Solovyov due to his political views. After this, several people were detained in Moscow and the Moscow region at different times on charges of attempting to assassinate the propagandist. On April 12, 2022, Andrei Volkov, a 28-year-old resident of the Kostroma region, was detained in Pushkino, Moscow region. According to the investigation, on March 24, Volkov made an unsuccessful attempt to set fire to a car. On April 5, Volkov, together with his acquaintance, poured gasoline on a car with 'symbols of support for the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces' and set it on fire." The car burned completely. During a search of Volkov, literature "propagating Nazism" was discovered and seized — "Mein Kampf" and "Restruct. He was accused of destroying someone else's property by arson in two episodes and hooliganism. 14 April, the Pushkin City Court of the Moscow Region remanded Volkov in custody. On April 25, the FSB announced the detention of five members of the 'National Socialism/White Power' group: Vladimir Belyakov, Vasily Strizhakov, Andrey Pronin, Vladimir Stepanov, and Maxim Druzhinin." Pronsky later said that during his arrest he was tortured with water, his teeth were filed down with a file. According to law enforcement, they wanted to blow up Solovyov's car on the orders of the Ukrainian Security Service. The next day, all six were charged with attempted murder of a person while performing their official duties, committed by a dangerous method by a group of persons by prior conspiracy." Police sent the men to a pre-trial detention center: on April 26, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow arrested Maxim Druzhinin, Vasily Strizhakov, and on April 27, Andrei Pronin and Vladimir Stepanov, at the request of the investigation. On June 3, in the city of Lyubertsy, Moscow Oblast, security forces detained 29-year-old Timofey Mokiy. According to the investigation, he is implicated in the arson of the Kosino-Ukhom district police station in Moscow and three military enlistment offices - in Shchelkovo, Balashikha, and the village of Prosnik in the Ryazan region: on the night of April 24-25, an unknown man threw two bottles with an incendiary mixture towards the Kosino-Ukhom district police station in Moscow, causing the asphalt in front of the checkpoint to ignite. It is clarified that the fire was quickly extinguished. During the inspection of the scene, law enforcement officers discovered a slogan against the fighting in Ukraine. 9 May in the evening, an unknown person threw a bottle with an incendiary mixture through the window of the military commissariat on Yevstafyeva Street (this military commissariat combines two Moscow region cities - Reutov and Balashikha). Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire covering one square meter in the corridor using a fire extinguisher. Another arson of a military enlistment office took place on May 15 in the village of Pronsk near Ryazan. First, an unknown person tried to set the door on fire, and then the window frame, but the fire did not spread. 18 May, a fire broke out in one of the rooms of the military commissariat building in Shchelkovo, Moscow region. An unknown person threw two bottles with an incendiary mixture into the building of the Shchelkovo military commissariat. As a result of the arson, two offices of the building were damaged, including the archives of the commissariat. Timofey Mokiy was accused of four episodes of destroying other people's property by arson. On June 4, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow chose arrest as a measure of restraint for him. On June 3, in the Tula region, security forces detained Diniz Abrarov, a resident of the Samara region, on suspicion of attempting to set fire to a military enlistment office. According to the investigation, around four in the morning on May 31, Abrarov came to the military enlistment office building on Shcherbina Street in Yasnogorsk and broke the window of one of the employee's offices with an axe, which he left there. Then he tried to set fire to the building, but the military enlistment office employees extinguished the fire before the firefighters arrived. On June 5, the Soviet District Court of Tula placed Denis under arrest. A criminal case was opened against Abrarov under the article on destruction of property by arson. On October 26, the prosecution reclassified the crime as a terrorist act committed by a group of persons. All these criminal cases were combined into one production. In total, 16 criminal cases were combined within the framework of the preliminary investigation. Over the course of a year, the charges were significantly expanded: the defendants were charged not only with preparing to kill Solovyov, several arsons of military commissariats and cars with pro-war symbols, but also with participating in the NS/WP terrorist organization. On October 26, 2022, Mokiy was also charged with possession of drugs without intent to sell. On November 8, Strizhakov and Volkov were additionally charged with illegal possession and manufacture of weapons and explosives, as well as participation in a terrorist community. In early December, the same charges were brought against Stepanov, Belyakov, Druzhinin, and Mokiy. 5 December 2022, Volkov was charged with participating in a terrorist community and two episodes of destroying other people's property by arson. The charge of hooliganism was excluded. Investigators consider 30-year-old Andrey Pronsky to be the leader of the cell - on December 19, he was charged under 11 criminal articles: illegal storage and manufacture of weapons and explosives, calls for extremism and terrorism, incitement of hatred or enmity committed by a group of persons with the use of violence or with the threat of its use, and organizing a terrorist community. According to the investigation, in October 2021, Andrey Pronsky created a cell of the neo-Nazi group "NS/WP", banned on the territory of Russia, about which he publicly announced in order to attract supporters, and also created a thematic channel in the messenger. He involved Timofey Mokiy, Vladimir Belyakov, Vladimir Stepanov, Maxim Druzhinin, Andrey Volkov, Vasily Strizhakov and other individuals in the group's activities. To implement their plans, the defendants purchased everything necessary for the manufacture of ammunition, the modification of firearms, and the manufacture of explosive devices. Between December 2021 and April 2022, they set fire to 4 cars, a house, and a military enlistment office in Moscow, Moscow Oblast, and Tver Oblast. Subsequently, no later than April 4, 2022, representatives of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine approached Pronin with an offer to kill journalist Vladimir Solovyov for a reward. For this, the members of the group decided to install a homemade explosive device on the body of the victim's car. However, the crime was not completed because it was stopped by law enforcement officers. At the beginning of December 2023, the case was sent for consideration to the 2nd Western Military District Court. At the same time, Vasily Strogonov's case was separated into a separate production due to identified mental illnesses - the young man suffers from delusional schizophrenia-like disorder, as well as stimulant dependence syndrome. Strizhakov claims that he is only acquainted with several of the accused, with whom he jointly consumed alcohol and drugs. According to the defense, after Strezhakov's detention, security forces independently added documents and subscriptions to opposition radical channels to his phone. When examining the materials, the court found out the dates of creation of these files - their entry occurred after the day of seizure. On November 11, 2023, the 2nd Western Military District Court of Moscow found Vasily Strizhakov guilty and sentenced him to compulsory psychiatric treatment. November 2023 saw the emergence of another defendant: Ukrainian Artem Deriglazov, serving a life sentence in a Ukrainian colony for the murder of a police officer. According to the investigation, Deriglazov was allegedly promised that he would be released from the colony if Solovyov was killed. Funds for the organizers of the assassination were also supposed to be paid through a Ukrainian activist. During the court hearing, Maksim Druzhinin testified that he was promised 1 million rubles through Andrei Pronsky: 400 thousand in advance and 600 thousand. rubles - after the assassination attempt. However, Druzhinin did not have time to get the money, he was detained. On January 22, 2024, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow granted the prosecution's motion for the in absentia arrest of Artyom Deriglazov. He was charged in absentia with organizing a murder and placed on an international wanted list. Another defendant in the case was the neo-Nazi Roman "Zukhel" Zheleznov. He was accused of calling for terrorism and extremism, participating in a terrorist organization and inciting hatred. The Investigative Committee considers him involved in reviving a cell of the neo-Nazi group NS/WP - he allegedly persuaded community members in Russia to set fire to military enlistment offices, cars with "Z" stickers, and prepare an assassination attempt on Vladimir Solovyov. Zheleznov evaded prosecution and was placed on the international wanted list. The Basmanny District Court of Moscow granted the prosecution's motion and issued an in absentia arrest warrant for Zheleznov for 2 months from the moment of his extradition to the territory of the Russian Federation, or from the moment of his detention on the territory of Russia. Previously, in 2018, Zheleznov was sentenced in absentia to 4 years in a strict regime colony in a case involving mercenary activities—the case was opened in 2014 after, according to the investigation, Zheleznov traveled to Ukraine and began participating in combat on the side of 'Azov.' Also, he was twice convicted in Russia, in cases of hooliganism and theft. Back in 2009, he was an activist of 'Restruct' of Maxim Martsinkevich, but they parted ways on ideological grounds. December 19, 2025, the 2nd Western Military District Court found all defendants guilty and sentenced them: Andrey Pronksy - life imprisonment with the first 10 years to be served in prison, and the remaining term - in a strict regime colony, with a fine of 1 million rubles and other restrictions; Vladimir Belyakov - 27 years imprisonment with the first 8 years to be served in prison, and the rest of the term - in a strict regime colony, with a fine of 900 thousand rubles. rubles and restriction of freedom; to Vladimir Stepanov - 26 years of imprisonment with the first 8 years to be served in prison, and the rest in a strict regime colony, with a fine of 800 thousand. 4. rubles and restriction of freedom; Timofey Mokiy—28 years of imprisonment with the first 9 years to be served in prison, and the remainder in a strict regime colony, with a fine of 900 thousand. rubles and restriction of freedom; Maxim Druzhinin - 25 years of imprisonment with the first 8 years to be served in prison, and the rest - in a strict regime colony, with a fine of 700 thousand." "rubles and restriction of liberty; Andrey Volkov — 18 years of imprisonment with the first 8 years to be served in prison, and the remainder in a strict regime colony, with a fine of 300 thousand. roubles; Dinisa Abarova — 12 years of imprisonment with the first 6 years to be served in prison, and the remaining part — in a strict regime colony. The court also fully satisfied the civil claims of the victims. The Investigative Committee of Russia in November 2014 initiated the first criminal case under the article "Mercenarism" against the nationalist Roman (Zukhel) Zheleznov, who is suspected of participating in battles in Donbas on the side of the National Guard of Ukraine. Law enforcement officers conducted a search in Zheleznov's apartment in Moscow. Investigators believe that Zheleznov arrived in Ukraine on July 9, 2014, and joined the volunteer battalion "Azov", in which he fights against separatists of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic. According to the investigation, for participating in the fighting, Zheleznov receives four thousand hryvnias (about twelve thousand rubles) monthly." The press service of the battalion stated that Zheleznov "is a volunteer of the press service. According to him, he receives no money and even pays for his apartment himself. Zheleznov is outside of Russia. On March 29, 2018, the Babushkinsky District Court of Moscow sentenced Roman Zheleznov to four years in a strict regime colony in absentia." On August 30, 2018, the Moscow City Court upheld the verdict.