Members of the ENO PMC were acquitted: what they were accused of, who was released in the courtroom

The Moscow garrison military court acquitted members of the interregional public organization “United People’s Community Partnerships” (known as PMC ENOTE) led by a former FSB officer. The fighters who fought as volunteers and accompanied cargo to Donbass were accused of robbery and theft.

Depending on their role, the defendants were charged under Articles 210 (“Creation and participation in an organized criminal community”), 158 (“Theft”), 162 (“Robbery”), 286 (“Excess of official powers”) of the Criminal Code of Russia.

According to the court decision, former FSB officer Alexander Mrishchuk, as well as Ivan Kovalenko, Alexey Konovalov, Mikhail Maksimov, were not involved in the crimes charged to them. They were recognized as having the right to rehabilitation and compensation for moral damages for unlawful criminal prosecution.

Another of the former defendants, Oleg Ocheretny, was also acquitted, but on a number of counts. He received a year of restriction of freedom: he must report twice a month to the relevant authorities.

The prosecution asked that the fighters be sentenced to 12 to 15 years of strict regime

The prosecution asked that former FSB officer Mrishchuk be sentenced to 17 years in prison on charges of organizing a criminal community using his official position, and that ordinary participants be sentenced to 12 to 15 years of strict regime and fined large sums. According to investigators, while heading the organization, Mrishchuk used fighters to commit robberies. Their victims were entrepreneurs whom law enforcement suspected of fraud in the supply of goods from abroad.

At the same time, the defense insisted that the victims of the attacks slandered the accused in order to evade responsibility. They were convicted of customs violations, not smuggling, the defendants’ lawyers said.

The origin of the name PMC RACCOON was previously revealed

Since 2014, fighters have accompanied humanitarian supplies to Donbass and taken direct part in hostilities, for which the media began to call them PMCs. Over time, they began to call themselves raccoons, since they carried with them a mascot – a soft toy raccoon named Lavrenty, who regularly appeared in photo and video reports.

In May 2016, the Regional Public Organization for the Promotion and Protection of Military-Patriotic Education of Youth (ROO) “United People’s Community Partnerships” – abbreviated as “ENOT” – was registered with the Ministry of Justice.