In Rostov-on-Don, the garrison military court is considering a criminal case once morest Colonel of the Russian Guard Valery Kotovich. The man is accused of disseminating deliberately false information regarding the use of the RF Armed Forces. About this on the evening of January 30 informs “Kommersant”.
The trial in the Kotovich case has been ongoing since December 2022. At the meeting, which took place on Monday, there was an interrogation of two witnesses – the bosses of the defendant.
It is known that the person involved in the case comes from Ukraine. He graduated from the Kharkov Military Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and served in the internal troops of Ukraine in the Crimea. Already in 2014, he received Russian citizenship and got a job in the law enforcement agencies of Russia. Since 2020, he has been the head of the procurement department at the Southern Center for Logistics of the Russian Guard (FKU Southern CMTO of the Russian Guard).
Conflicts with colleagues, the chiefs of the defendant said, began at Kotovich’s following the start of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. Because of this, he allegedly also quarreled with his brother and acquaintances living in Ukraine.
Some told the authorities that the man allegedly told them regarding the aggressive actions of the RF Armed Forces, because of which the civilian population is suffering. At the same time, both witnesses specified that they knew regarding the conflicts and Kotovich’s position only from his subordinates, he himself did not say anything like that.
According to the defendant, the attitude towards him began to change following the start of the SVO. So, on February 27, he received the first penalty for the entire time of his service.
Kotovich’s position on the case is unknown: his defense refused to communicate with the media. The next meeting will be held in early February, where they plan to continue questioning witnesses.
