A Moscow court has awarded four parachutists compensation for wrongly accusing them of vandalizing a Stalin-era skyscraper, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday.
Moscow's Tagansky District Court will pay 360,000 rubles ($5,620) in compensation for the criminal prosecution.
The four base jumpers — Alexander Pogrebov, Alexei Shirokozhukhova, Yevgenia Korotkova and Anna Lepeshkina — were awarded 90,000 rubles ($1,400) each for moral damages, said lawyer Olga Lukmanova, RIA Novosti reported. They are also seeking compensation for legal expenses.
The group had been implicated with Ukrainian roofer Pavel Ushivets — also known as "Mustang Wanted" — who climbed the spire of a Stalin-era skyscraper on Aug. 20, 2014, to paint it with the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Ushivets publicly claimed responsibility for painting the upper half of an enormous yellow star blue on Moscow's Kotelnicheskaya Naberezhnaya skyscraper.
The four base jumpers, who parachuted from the same skyscraper that morning, were arrested shortly after the stunt and detained under house arrest. They maintained they did not know about Ushivets' painting plans and had jumped from a point significantly lower than the star.
The stunt attracted international attention as it came at a time of heightened tension between Ukraine and Russia and was seen as a protest against Kremlin policies in the neighboring country.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
