Eduard Viktorovich Pestrak

Eduard, a riot police officer of the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs, had been in service since 2006. Like many of his colleagues, he was subject to surveillance. It is known that at the base of military unit 3214, Eduard participated in special forces training and exercises to disperse mass events using special equipment. He was detained in August 2021 as part of a criminal case initiated under the article "act of terrorism."

According to the indictment, from July 2020 to January 2022, "an organized criminal group operated in Belarus, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine and other countries with the goal of committing extremist crimes. The group included radical individuals, including former and current military personnel, law enforcement officers, athletes and businessmen, who sought to seize power illegally." The case involves charges of attempted arson of the home of MP Oleg Gaidukevich in June 2021 and "organizing mass riots."

Eduard was convicted under the article on "inaction of an official" with imprisonment, as well as a ban on holding government positions and positions related to the performance of the functions of a representative of the authorities for a period of five years. In addition, he was stripped of his military rank.

According to human rights activists, he was released at the end of January 2024, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.