Published at 03.30
Twelve people are sentenced to prison in Russia accused of plotting to assassinate a Kremlin-loyal media executive.
Russia claims the twelve are members of a neo-Nazi cell. Two of them allegedly planned to assassinate Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled Russian channel RT.
Simonjan is a staunch supporter of President Vladimir Putin. She is considered one of the country’s most powerful media executives and has shown strong support for the war in Ukraine.
The group’s 21-year-old leader is sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the other eleven convicts receive prison terms of between 6 and 18 years, according to Russia’s State Investigative Committee.
The trial was held behind closed doors and no details of the suspected murder plans have been made public.
The twelve were also accused of attacks against migrants and LGBTQ people, as well as robbery and incitement against ethnic groups.
