Interpreter Staff

Russia Update: Trial to Begin of Base Jumpers Accused of Painting Star Atop Moscow Building

August 4, 2015
Russia Update
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Star atop Stalin-era building on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment painted in colors of Ukrainian flag. Photo by TASS

A preliminary hearing opened today in the case of the base jumpers who were accused of painting a star on a Stalin-era building in Moscow in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag

Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies.

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Special features:

– ‘I Was on Active Duty’: Interview with Captured GRU Officer Aleksandrov
– Meet The Russian Fighters Building A Base Between Mariupol And Donetsk
– ‘There Was No Buk in Our Field’
– With Cash and Conspiracy Theories, Russian Orthodox Philanthropist Malofeyev is Useful to the Kremlin

Russia This Week:

– Is ‘Novorossiya’ Really Dead?
– From Medal of Valor to Ubiquitous Propaganda Symbol: the History of the St. George Ribbon
– What Happened to the Slow-Moving Coup?
– Can We Be Satisfied with the Theory That Kadyrov Killed Nemtsov?
– All the Strange Things Going On in Moscow

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UPDATES BELOW

Trial to Begin in Case of Base Jumpers Accused of Painting Star Atop Moscow Building in Colors of Ukrainian Flag
2015-08-04 15:12:54

A preliminary hearing opened today in the case of the base jumpers who were accused of painting a star on a Stalin-era building in Moscow in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag, RBC.ru reported.

We have covered this story in-depth in the past, including a summary of an interview with the father of one of the defendants.

A Ukrainian activist known as “Mustang” (Pavel Ushevits) a “roofer” or
climber of tall buildings, took credit for the painting of the star when
the others were arrested. He is now fighting on the side of Ukraine in
the war in the Donbass.

Meanwhile, the five persons accused of
parachuting off the building and defacing the star have pleaded not
guilty regarding the paint job. They are Aleksandr Pogrebov, Aleksei
Shirokozhukhov, Yevgeniya Korotova, Anna Lepeshkina and Vladimir
Podrezov.  All of them were known as base jumpers or “roofers”.

Their lawyers say they are “non-political” and were guilty only of base-jumping, claiming their presence on the same building was a coincidence.

The
charges are based on the testimony of one of the defendants, Podrezov,
and another witness, Kirill Ishutin, who was not accused of the base
jump but is now facing a charge of possession of illegal narcotics after
police found drugs in his apartment after a search.

But
attorneys say their clients did not know Mustang, did not contact him,
or were near him the day of the jump, and their cell phone records prove
this.

Podrezov says he knew Mustang and was on the roof during his protest painting.

The trial is set to open August 17.

— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick

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