Organizer of pro-Moscow demonstrations, Elena Kolbasnikova publicly defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In trial, the prosecutor points out that freedom of expression ends where the crime begins. In a court in Cologne, Elena Kolbasnikova was awaiting a sentence that could reach three years in prison or a heavy fine for her statements in support of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia made during a pro-Moscow motorcade that she organized. A Ukrainian citizen, Kolbasnikova hopes to receive a Russian passport soon.
The German court, however, took into account the fact that the mother of two was unemployed and sentenced her to pay a fine of just 900 euros (about R$ 4,700) for the crime of approving criminal acts. The main evidence against Kolbasnikova was an interview she gave to the Bild newspaper during a motorcade. At the time, she defended the invasion of Ukraine, said that Russia was not the aggressor and said that Moscow was helping to end the conflict in the neighboring country.
Kolbasnikova appeared indifferent upon hearing the verdict on Tuesday. “Life goes on and I will tell the truth. And in that sense, I consider myself innocent, ”she said in front of the court after the trial. She also claimed to be ready to be punished if it meant “the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazis”, adopting the Kremlin’s narrative about the Ukrainian government.
Kolbasnikova’s lawyer, Markus Beisicht, who is also a far-right politician, said he would appeal the decision, and, if necessary, would appeal to the highest court: Germany’s Constitutional Court.
To a Russian broadcaster, Kolbasnikova expressed outrage at the sentence. “Thirty days in jail or I have to pay 30 euros a day. 900 euros to German coffers for the deaths of people in Donbass since 2014. This is the truth of the Germans, ”she said in Russian.
The “Putin fan”
Nicknamed a “Putin fan” by the German press, Kolbasnikova is the poster child for supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany. She organized several pro-Putin rallies. A report by the Reuters news agency revealed that Kolbasnikova and her husband Max Schlund are part of a group of individuals in Germany who promote a pro-Moscow stance while maintaining secret ties to the Kremlin, sanctioned Russian entities and right-wing extremists. .
Kolbasnikova and Schlund received tickets from the Berlin arm of a Russian cultural promotion agency, Rossotrudnichestvo, to travel to Moscow in December for a conference that was hosted by Putin himself. The couple, however, ended up not traveling because, according to Kolbasnikova, they would have missed the flight. The report also showed that the couple was actively involved in the Kremlin’s military campaign in Ukraine.
According to Bild, Schlund is a Russian reserve officer. Also according to the press, the couple would have raised money for the Russian army, and, in the autumn of last year, traveled to Donbass to personally deliver military goods to Russian soldiers.
Schlund moved to Germany from Moscow in 2012, where he met Kolbasnikova, who was working as a nurse in the country. The “Putin fan” claims to have lost her job due to alleged “Russophobia”. Kolbasnikova is also alleged to have advertised to attract mercenaries to the Wagner Group – paramilitaries who fight on Russia’s side in Ukraine.
The judgement
Some of the defendant’s supporters arrived an hour before the session and were greeted by opponents carrying signs with the phrase: “Putin and his Nazis kill.” Not everyone was able to follow the trial, as the courtroom had space for 35 people.
Kolbasnikova’s husband was thrown out of the premises after a fight. Schlund is also unemployed. He was fired from Cologne-Bonn airport after being accused, along with his wife, of violating sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) against Russia.
Kolbasnikova arrived in court wearing a Star of David made in the colors of the Russian flag, in reference to the conspiracy theory propagated among Kremlin supporters that Russians were “the Jews of the 21st century”. The judge asked her to remove the symbol before the trial.
“Defender of Peace”
During the trial, Kolbasnikova tried to convince the court that she was the victim of political persecution. According to her, her personal data and her address were posted on the internet. She was reportedly even placed under state protection after alleged death threats.
The defendant also stated that she lost two jobs and that she was now living on unemployment insurance and a part-time job, in which she earned 450 euros a month. She further argued that the pro-Russian motorcade she organized and other actions would be part of the tradition of the “peace policy” of former Federal Chancellors of Germany Willy Brandt and Gerhard Schröder. “I stand for peace,” she stressed.
Regarding the statements, Kolbasnikova claimed that they were her “own opinion” and invoked the right to freedom of expression that prevails in Germany.
The prosecutor tried to make it clear that the defendant was not being tried for liking Russia or criticizing German and Ukrainian officials. He argued that freedom of personal expression ends where approval of criminal acts begins and that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, something Kolbasnikova publicly defended, was military aggression and constituted a crime under German law.
The prosecutor further stated that the pleas for peace made by the defendant were cynical.
For Kolbasnikova’s conviction, the judge based her verdict on the fact that it was indisputable that Russia violated international law by invading Ukraine. The magistrate stated that the defendant’s statements were capable of disturbing public peace. The judge also pointed out that, in Germany, it is not allowed to say everything.
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