Vasily Moskovets

Vasily Moskovets is the leader of the Stop Mining and Processing Plant movement, which opposes the construction of a mining and processing plant near Chelyabinsk. In March 2015, he became aware that as early as in September 2014, an operational and investigative surveillance was launched against him. In addition, Moskovets has repeatedly faced opposition from local authorities in connection with organising actions against the construction of the plant.

After a case was opened against the same movement activist Gamil Asatullin in September 2017 for attempted arson at the construction site of the plant, operatives of the Centre for Countering Extremism forced him to testify against Moskovets: Asatullin said that he approved the idea of arson and was even the initiator. Asatullin later said that he testified under pressure. Another defendant in the case, Yevgeny Medvedev, whom local activists consider a provocateur, also testified against Moskovets: Medvedev claimed that Moskovets repeatedly said that some provocation should be committed in the construction area. It was also reported that the police had audio recordings of phone conversations between Moskovets and Medvedev made by the latter. According to Moskovets' lawyer, police officers saw in Moskovets' statements signs of incitement to hatred and calls for mass disorder and in February 2018 passed these recordings to the Investigative Committee. However, in March, the Investigative Committee replied that there were no grounds to even conduct a criminal investigation.

In February 2018, leaflets with inaccurate information about people opposing the construction of the plant, in particular, about Moskovets, appeared in Chelyabinsk. Around the same time, leaflets dedicated to Moskovets' ex-wife were distributed in the neighbouring city of Kopeysk.

On 17 December 2018, a criminal case was opened against Moskovets - he was accused of incitement to arson. In February 2019, intentional destruction of the Tominsk forest was added to the charge, but this charge was no longer in the text of the indictment, which Moskovets was acquainted with in March. According to his lawyer, the activist was decided to be prosecuted after he announced his intention to run for mayor of Chelyabinsk. Moskovets is under a recognisance not to leave.

On 29 March 2021 he was sentenced to two and a half years of probation. On 13 July, the appeal court dropped the hooliganism charge and reduced the sentence to one and a half years suspended.