During the consideration of the appeal in the case of Navalny's lawyers, who were accused of participating in an "extremist community", the prosecution asked to increase the prison terms for all three lawyers by six months, reported a correspondent of "Mediazona"**. Vadim Kobzev* from 5.5 years to 5 years and 8 months in prison, Alexey Lipcer* from 5 to 5 years and 6 months in prison, and Igor Sergunin* from 3.5 to 4 years.
At the same time, the maximum sentence under this charge is six years.
Prosecutor Irina Kolotilova asked the court to exclude mitigating circumstances in the case of Vadim Kobzev and Alexey Lipcer — "the difficult financial situation of the family". The prosecution wants to toughen the punishment for Igor Sergunin because all the evidence was collected without Sergunin's confessions "in conditions of obviousness".
Lawyer Anna Stavitskaya noted that the first instance verdict copies the indictment. "I, of course, do not live on a cloud, and we, lawyers, are well aware that judges use the indictment in their work. But the results of my research amazed me. Approximately 95% of the verdict is a copy of the indictment. 234 pages. Three pages are the operative part. Of the remaining 231 pages, 215 are a copy".
The three lawyers, who at different times represented the interests of Alexey Navalny — Vadim Kobzev, Alexey Lipcer, and Igor Sergunin — were arrested on October 13, 2023, in the case of participation in an "extremist community". Moreover, Alexey Lipcer last met with Alexey Navalny in the summer of 2022.
The investigation believes that Navalny's defenders, "using their status", regularly transmitted letters from the oppositionist from the colony to his associates. Thus, according to the investigators' logic, through the lawyers, Navalny "continued to perform the functions of the leader and head of the extremist community".
On January 17, 2025, the lawyers were sentenced. Vadim Kobzev was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison, Alexey Lipcer to 5 years, and Igor Sergunin to 3.5 years.
* Included in the list of "terrorists and extremists".
** Recognized in Russia as a "foreign agent".
Photo: Mediazona