Delivering disaster: accused of attempting to poison military pilots pleaded guilty
Lawyers believe that34-year-old Yegor Semenov could face a life sentence for attempting to poison graduates of the Armavir Higher Military Aviation School. According to the investigation, the native of Melitopol was recruited by the Security Service of Ukraine. In October 2023, Semenov added the toxic substance cordiamine to alcoholic beverages and cake and sent by courier to the restaurant where the meeting of graduates was held. The pilots were wary of the parcel from the unknown donor and handed it over to the police, thanks to which they remained alive. At the first hearing on the merits on January 13 in the Southern District Military Court Semenov, who was accused of state treason and terrorist act, partially pleaded guilty. Such a confession does not guarantee leniency in the case of especially serious articles, the lawyers noted.
What happened in Armavir
On January 13, the Southern District Military Court began to consider the merits of the criminal case of attempted poisoning of graduates of the Armavir Higher Military Aviation School of Air Defense Pilots. The only defendant in the case, Melitopol native Yegor Semenov, who was previously recruited by the SBU, partially pleaded guilty.
According to the investigation, in 2022 Yegor Semenov was granted Russian citizenship, and in April 2023 he was recruited by the SBU. For a fee of 400 thousand rubles, he agreed to organize the murder of graduates of Armavir flight school.
According to the investigation, in October 2023 Semyonov added a dangerous dose of the substance cordiamine (has analeptic effect) in alcoholic beverages and cake and sent by courier to the restaurant, where the meeting of graduates of the school was held.
On the video from the cameras of the alkomarket "Red Horse", which is in the case materials, Yegor Semenov stands at the counter at the time of the alleged purchase. Earlier, the store clerks told "Izvestia" that the man looked like an ordinary customer and wanted to buy 50 bottles of whiskey 0.5 liters or 0.7 liters.
But there were only 18 bottles in the store, which he bought. Then the man went to the Bayazet store and bought more alcohol there. Later these bottles together with the poisoned cake were delivered to the reunion of the graduates of Armavir flight school.
That evening 77 Russian pilots - retired and active officers - were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their graduation. The meeting was held at the Tsarskaya Okhota restaurant. The pilots could not understand from whom the parcel came and handed it over to the police, thanks to which they survived. In particular, the officers' suspicions were aroused by the design of the cake - it depicted outdated symbols of the school.
Yegor Semenov was detained on October 26, 2023 at the airport of Mineralnye Vody. He is charged with two particularly serious articles - a terrorist act and high treason. Military pilots appear as victims in the case, for this reason the court made the session closed. In court, Egor Semenov did not hide his face from journalists, but sat in the "aquarium" with his eyes lowered to the floor.
Confession of guilt
The lawyers interviewed by "Izvestia" differed in their assessment of what sentence Egor Semenov could face for the attempted poisoning of the Armavir pilots.
Such crimes as terrorism and state treason are among the most serious in criminal law, and their commission is punishable by up to life imprisonment, Ilya Drozdov, a lawyer of the law firm Makeev and Partners, told Izvestia.
- The defendant failed to poison the pilots thanks to their vigilance, nevertheless his crime will be considered completed," the lawyer believes. - On this basis, the court may well give him a life sentence.
According to Ilya Drozdov, the terrorist act and state treason are considered completed from the moment of committing the actions specified in the criminal law, regardless of the criminal's achievement of his goals. In this case, these actions include the delivery of food, which could lead to death if consumed.
Articles 205 and 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation are particularly grave and provide for life imprisonment, confirmed the lawyer of the Yakovlev and Partners law group Evgenia Ryzhkova. But, in her opinion, even if Semenov's guilt is proven, his crime cannot be qualified as completed.
- The described act is an attempt to commit a crime," the lawyer said. - In this case, life imprisonment cannot be imposed.
To qualify the actions under the article on state treason, it must be established that they were committed by a Russian citizen in order to assist a foreign state, organization or their representatives in activities against the security of the Russian Federation, said Yevgenia Ryzhkova. At the same time, the person who committed the crime must be aware that he interacts with the employees of these organizations, and not just with a friend, neighbor or classmate.
Semenov's crime was also qualified as a terrorist act, since, according to the investigation, his actions were aimed at destabilizing the authorities and influencing their decision-making, believes Ilya Drozdov.
-Also, actions that had a frightening character for the population and created a danger of human death or significant property damage are usually considered a terrorist act," the lawyer said.
Head of AVG Legal Alexei Gavrishev drew attention to the fact that the article on state treason was amended in 2022. Now a suspect who is not a carrier of classified information can be prosecuted under this provision.
- Investigators only need to prove that the accused had access to it through someone or other circumstances," said the lawyer. - What this information was in the case of Egorov, the investigation must establish.
Partial confession of guilt by the defendant can be assessed as an attempt to reduce the potential sentence, believes Alexei Gavrishev.
- But the judicial practice on confessions is controversial and does not guarantee a reduction in responsibility, although it is often a way to put pressure on the investigated person, - said the lawyer.
The confession of guilt in any case should be taken into account as a mitigating circumstance by the court, without it the prosecution would have problems proving the defendant's goals, believes Yevgenia Ryzhkova.
