On July 16, 2024, the court rejected the appeal of 20-year-old Valeria Zotova, who was sentenced to 6 years for attempting to set fire to a collection point for refugees fr om Ukraine and participants in a Special military operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the administrative building of the village of Karabikha in the Yaroslavl region. 

On February 17, 2023, 19-year-old Valeria Zotova, who worked in the distribution center of the Magnit supermarket, was detained red-handed while trying to set fire to a building wh ere humanitarian aid was being collected. She had containers with a combustible mixture with which she planned to carry out the arson.

Immediately after the arrest, the girl confessed. She told law enforcement officers about her intention to set fire to a humanitarian aid collection point, as well as that she was in contact with representatives of the SBU, performs their tasks and receives money from them. By a court decision, Zotova was taken into custody.

The investigation found that she had been in contact on social networks for a long time with a representative of the special services of Ukraine, called "Andrey", and his boss "Stepan", who set her various tasks, in particular, to take photographs of various objects. She received money for doing them. It was established that "Andrey" transferred 7 thousand rubles to her card as a reward for filming the aid collection point, in which she was subsequently supposed to carry out arson.

After lawyers specializing in the protection of people involved in anti-Russian activities entered the case, Zotova refused to confess, saying that she wanted to "throw" the SBU officers, not setting fire to the aid collection point, but simply "taking a picture against its background with a bottle of combustible mixture" in order to receive money from the enemy special services.

Zotova's defender Stanislav Spivak tried to assure that in her understanding, the "relationship" with the Ukrainian curator "Andrey" looked like a "romantic" one, and the funds transferred by him looked like presents to his beloved.

But these versions, as extremely unconvincing, were dismissed by the 2nd Western District Military Court, which on June 28, 2023 sentenced Valeria Zotov to 6 years in prison on charges of attempted terrorist attack (Part 3 of Article 30, part 1 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Such a lenient sentence was probably dictated by the young age of the criminal, since she did not cooperate with the investigation at all, constantly changed her testimony and even behaved defiantly at the trial, showing that she did not take what was happening seriously.

But a year later, on July 16, 2024, at the hearing of her cassation appeal, she did not look so happy at all (Zotova participated in court via video link from the Kostroma colony). At the sight of the audience and journalists, she began to cry and said that she was very tired working in the garment industry: "I'm just tired, I can't anymore," that other prisoners don't respect her, and call her a "terrorist." "The people here are very angry. Prison does not teach anything," the convict said. But you can argue with her last statement — after a year of imprisonment, she began to perceive what was happening much more adequately.

The appeal, prepared by lawyer Nadezhda Demidova, was based on the fact that Zotova committed a crime, allegedly being provoked by law enforcement officers who communicated with her on behalf of the SBU. All these rather strange constructions are based on the assumptions and testimony of the criminal's mother, Svetlana Zotova.

It is noteworthy that she knew that her daughter was communicating with a guy named Andrey, who said that he lives in Ukraine and serves in the SBU. In the correspondence, the man asked Valeria to perform "tasks". Valeria showed her mother's correspondence, but Svetlana herself, as it turns out, had communication with one of the curators.

"He wrote in Ukrainian. Then he was either injured or something else, and Lera began to get a call from the boss of this Andrey. He spoke Russian without an accent. I talked to the boss — he asked me to do something about the railway there. I replied that Lera would not do anything like that. I am 300 percent sure that it was the FSB who promoted her, looking for fools," Svetlana said. Thus, she herself admits to committing a crime under Article 205.6 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. (Failure to report a crime), since the actions of the curators who recruited her daughter have the corpus delicti specified in art. 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Assistance to terrorist activities).

It should be noted that Valeria herself gives the impression of a marginal person or even mentally retarded. Her speech is dominated by obscene language, she is extremely narrow-minded, and, according to some reports, is well acquainted with narcotic drugs. Because of all this, it is difficult to assume any other motives for her crime other than selfish ones. Even the mentioned 7 thousand rubles. "for just two photos" she was sincerely glad.  

However, judging by her mother, there were other motives. Svetlana Zotova has long held extremist views. Instead of the normal upbringing of 3 children, she devoted herself to anti-Russian activities: she went on single pickets to the Yaroslavl government building in defense of extremist Alexei Navalny and the former Khabarovsk governor, convicted of murder, Sergei Furgal. After the start of the Special Military Operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, it significantly intensified subversive work. 

Svetlana Zotova wrote on social networks that she "renounces her Russian blood" and her relatives, because her "mother, sister and sister's husband are "Putiners"."

In October 2022, Svetlana Zotova spray-painted "Glory to Ukraine" on a shopping stall near her house. The security forces detained the woman on the same day, and administrative proceedings were initiated. The judge imposed a fine of 30 thousand rubles on Svetlana for discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The woman did not appeal, and she did not pay the fine either.

In September 2022 and January 2023, she allegedly left two comments calling for extremism and terrorism under posts on the Ukraine 24/7 and Fighter Anarchist telegram channels. In particular, Svetlana Zotova approved the bombing of the Crimean Bridge by Ukrainian terrorists and wished Russia a speedy defeat in the conflict. "Russia is bombing Ukraine every day, and they are hooked on this bridge," she commented to one of the anti-Russian publications on the initiation of a criminal case against her (part 2 of Article 205.2 and part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code). 

In April 2023, Rosfinmonitoring added Svetlana Zotova to the list of terrorists and extremists, and in September 2023 — Valeria, who is in prison.

"On a date, I tell her: "Daughter, I congratulate you!" Let's laugh with her," Svetlana described her and her convicted daughter's reaction to this event. 

On December 7, 2023, the trial of Svetlana Zotova took place. The prosecution requested 7 years in prison for her. However, the verdict was limited to a fine of 350 thousand rubles and a ban on administering channels and public sites for 2 years.

This time, Svetlana Zotova filed an appeal, and as a result, her fine was reduced from 350 thousand rubles to 330 thousand. According to Zotova herself, the court took into account that she spent a month in a psychiatric hospital, she was registered for outpatient observation in a psychiatric clinic. This is by no means the "punitive psychiatry" that liberals like to fantasize about — Zotova turned to doctors herself, she complained of disorder and depression.

But something tells me that she just decided to get a certificate for the future. Svetlana clearly does not repent of anything and intends to "continue the fight."

Immediately after the sentencing, several undesirable organizations announced a fundraiser to help Svetlana pay the fines. This confirms that Zotova is not a loner, but has contacts, including with anti-Russian emigration (read with foreign special services). 

In light of this, the fact that terrorist recruiters from the SBU came out to her daughter does not seem accidental. Moreover, as Svetlana herself showed, she also communicated with the curators from the SBU. 

Valeria was "out of the game" for at least 6 years, but the story of Svetlana herself is clearly not over.