Activists called on the head of the pretrial detention center to ensure the protection of the rights of Kuban pensioners.

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A group of activists and human rights defenders wrote letters to the head of Rostov-on-Don's Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1, where Kuban pensioners Zakharova, Kuzovenko, and Nabiyev are being held, asking for medical care and adequate conditions.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," pensioners Nikolai Nabiyev, Sergei Kuzovenko, and Marina Zakharova, accused of creating an illegal armed group, complained of health problems in the pre-trial detention center. On June 6, the Uspensky District Court of Krasnodar Krai declined to issue a verdict and referred the case to the Southern District Military Court. Activists who were present at the May 17 court hearing noted that the pensioners looked ill and exhausted.

On May 22, public activists and human rights defenders addressed open letters to Jamal Nabiyev, head of Rostov-on-Don's Pretrial Detention Center No. 1, by email, as well as to the physical address of the pretrial detention center where pensioners Marina Zakharova, Nikolai Nabiyev, and Sergei Kuzovenko are being held, Elena Rokhlina, founder and leader of the "Help to Political Prisoners" movement, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The reason for the appeal was The catastrophic health condition of three elderly residents of the Krasnodar Territory

"The reason for the appeal was the catastrophic health condition of three elderly residents of the Krasnodar Territory who are in custody: 70-year-old Marina Valentinovna Zakharova, Nikolai Vasilyevich Nabiev, and Sergei Nikolaevich Kuzovenko. All of them are defendants in a high-profile criminal case regarding the creation of an "illegal armed group," she noted.

The human rights activist also reported that supporters collect and send four thousand rubles each month to Nabiyev and Kuzovenko and six thousand rubles to Marina Zakharova, but according to available information, the money doesn't always reach everyone.

With the help of lawyers, the human rights activists drafted an appeal and, after publishing it on social media, asked all concerned citizens who disagree with this treatment of the elderly to sign and send it. They believe this will help draw the authorities' attention to the current situation and, perhaps, save the lives and health of elderly people.

The letter's authors draw attention to the fact that elderly people with serious illnesses are effectively deprived of basic medical care and are kept in inhumane conditions that violate both Russian law and humanitarian principles. A copy of the sent letter is in the possession of the "Caucasian Knot."

Lawyer calls the pensioners' case a provocation

Independent expert, lawyer and Human rights activist Sergey Elshin, who helps activists draft statements in defense of prisoners, agreed to provide a full breakdown of the pensioners' case.

"Having studied the case materials available to me and the text of the indictment, I can confidently state: this criminal case bears all the hallmarks of an artificially fabricated provocation by law enforcement agencies [...] The prosecution of the elderly people is based on articles typically applied to dangerous terrorist groups: Parts 1 and 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (creation of and participation in an illegal armed group), as well as Parts 4 and 6 of Article "Article 222 of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal arms trafficking as part of an organized group)," the lawyer noted.

The classic "operational penetration" mentioned in the indictment is nothing more than a tool of provocation, which the Supreme Court deemed illegal.

He drew attention to "key and systemic violations that are glaring upon a detailed analysis of the charges." "The classic "operational penetration" mentioned in the indictment is nothing more than a tool of provocation, which the Supreme Court deemed illegal.  From the case file, it is clear that the "People's Militia," created within the "Rusy Kuban" community, initially existed only on paper as a declarative structure "to control housing and communal services" and "preserve ancestral traditions." But as soon as secret intelligence agents—people using the pseudonyms "Morozov A.Yu." and "Sokolov R.A."—entered the picture, the peaceful group of pensioners transformed into a "terrorist threat." It was these in-house provocateurs who brought and showed the elderly men a Kalashnikov light machine gun (RPK), initiated conversations about weapons, and provoked Nabiyev into handing them an old, rusty Browning pistol from 1903, which was unfireable. "Without the active efforts of these undercover agents, there simply would not have been any weapons component to the case," Yelshin believes.

"The investigation stubbornly describes the pensioners as a 'stable and cohesive organized criminal group' whose goal is 'undermining state security.'" Moreover, the entire arsenal of this "dangerous group" was reduced to 30 rounds of ammunition and one faulty antique pistol. Marina Zakharova consistently stated in her testimony that the community never owned any weapons and had no plans to purchase them, as the elderly simply lacked the money, and all the accusations were based on statements taken out of context. Since the investigation was unable to uncover any actual evidence of preparation for attacks or combat missions, the prosecution relied on so-called "psychological-linguistic examination" of communications. The physical absence of weapons on Zakharova's part is being replaced by expert conclusions about the presence of "psychological signs of convictions and appeals" in her speech. "People are being judged not for their actions, but for their conversations and utopian views (nostalgia for the USSR)," the lawyer emphasized.

Even if the investigation found criminal elements in their actions, the chosen preventive measure of detention in the damp basements of Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 looks not like isolation, but like the targeted physical destruction of the defendants.

"The placement in custody of a 70-year-old woman suffering from an organic disorder and a paralyzed disabled man on crutches who has suffered two strokes is a gross violation of the principles of proportionality and humanity. Even if the investigation found criminal activity in their actions, the chosen preventive measure of confinement in the damp basements of Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 looks less like isolation and more like the targeted physical destruction of the defendants," Yelshin concluded.

Relatives fear for the lives and health of pensioners

"Pensioners will be able to leave prison at the age of 90 or close to 90, but there is no reason to believe that, given such conditions, food, and without medical care, they will be able to spend so many years in prison and emerge alive. "That is, the system condemned these people to a painful death in absentia," says human rights activist Marina Melikhova, who shared a cell with Marina Zakharova. She read the charges brought by Zakharova. "This is a pure provocation, not an accusation," Melikhova asserts. She believes that the case of Nabiyev, Kuzovenko, and Zakharova is nothing more than an intimidation campaign for other dissenters from the system and an attempt to gain epaulettes for provoking a crime. "This system has deprived me of everything! They tried to ruin my health. And then the other day they destroyed my house, and unknown mercenaries did it, and they charged me for destroying my property. This is how the system deals with anyone it doesn't like. "The perpetrators don't realize that those who order such crimes will sooner or later deal with them, just like they did with us," Melikhova is convinced.

If they were charged with nothing, then they could charge us too, and we have children and work.

Relatives of pensioners told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they are very concerned for the lives and health of their loved ones, but they don't know how they can help them because "the system is completely closed." "We don't know how our actions to protect our relatives will be responded to. If they were charged with nothing, then they could charge us too, and we have children and work. We're not living, we're just surviving economically, and there's no prospect of saving our elderly. We can't even afford to hire lawyers due to lack of funds. All lawyers are appointed. "They haven't contacted us," one of the relatives concluded.