Russia jails former student for six years over attack on ruling party's offices

Two other defendants in the case, Yelena Gorban and Andrei Eikin, were handed suspended sentences of four and two years, respectively, TASS and RIA reported. The ruling came a day after police detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on his arrival back in Russia for the first time since he was poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent last summer.

A Russian court sentenced a former mathematics student to six years in prison on Monday after convicting him of taking part in an arson attack on a branch of the ruling United Russia party, a charge he had denied and called politically motivated. Azat Miftakhov was found guilty of hooliganism for allegedly overseeing an attack on the party's offices in 2018, news agencies TASS and RIA reported. His supporters say he was targeted for his anarchist views.

A group of people attacked United Russia's offices in northwestern Moscow, breaking a window and tossing a smoke bomb inside the building, the agencies reported at the time. The United Russia party supports President Vladimir Putin, holds a majority in parliament and dominates regional politics.

Miftakhov's lawyer, Svetlana Sidorkina, said he would appeal the verdict. "Azat has not recognised any guilt, and we consider the criminal case against him to be politically motivated," TASS news agency quoted her as saying.

Rights activists said the ruling was disproportionately harsh. Two other defendants in the case, Yelena Gorban and Andrei Eikin, were handed suspended sentences of four and two years, respectively, TASS and RIA reported.

The ruling came a day after police detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on his arrival back in Russia for the first time since he was poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent last summer.

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