Russian Court Sentences 12 Neo-Nazis Over Plot to Assassinate Margarita Simonyan

A Russian court ruled on Friday to imprison 12 members of a neo-Nazi cell, two of whom had planned the assassination of media personality Margarita Simonyan, a leading figure in official Russian media and a strong supporter of the war in Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin, according to the news agency Agence France-Presse.

The cell's leader, 21-year-old Mikhail Balashov, received a 20-year prison sentence, while the other defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 6 to 18 years, the Russian Investigative Committee announced.

The degree of involvement of each convicted individual in the assassination plot remains unclear, as the trial was held behind closed doors and the prosecution did not disclose details of the case.

The prosecution stated that Balashov "established and led in 2022 a cell affiliated with the international movement 'National Socialism/White Power' active in Moscow, naming it 'Pure Blood'."

Among the crimes attributed to the twelve convicted individuals were attacks against immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as robberies and incitement to racial hatred.

Simonyan is recognized as one of the most prominent figures in Russian state media, managing the government media group overseeing the RT channel, Sputnik radio, and the RIA Novosti news agency.

The prosecution did not specify a particular motive for the assassination plot, stating only that two of the accused were "carrying out orders from unknown persons" and were offered a financial reward of $50,000.