MOSCOW, Jul14. /TASS/. The jury of the Moscow city court on Tuesday brought the verdict of guilty to Ilya Goryachev, a leader of the nationalist group Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists, and found him guilty of organizing a series of murders, establishing an extremist organization, leading a gang and illegal possession of arms.
The verdict was passed unanimously. The jury also ruled that Goryachev is not recommended for mercy. So, he might face a maximal punishment.
According to police, the Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists was set up in Moscow in 2008. The organization used violence against people on grounds of ideological and ethnic hatred and assaulted law enforcers. Goryachev was fleeing from prosecution and was put on the international wanted list. In November 2013, he was extradited to Russia from Serbia.
Goryachev’s accomplices, Nikita Tikhonov, Maxim Baklagin and Vyacheslav Isayev were earlier sentenced to life. Tikhonov was found guilty of murdering lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. Baklagin and Isayev were found guilty of murdering judge Eduard Chuvashov. Another member of the group, Mikhail Volkov, was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
"Members of the gang took extensive physical exercises, studied reconnaissance tactics in urban and wooded environment conditions, secrecy methods, the use of cold steel and firearms, methods of manufacturing and using explosive devices," Russian Investigations Commission Spokesman Vladimir Markin said. "Leaders and members had explosive devices, grenades, firearms of various types and models, spare parts and munitions."