New development in the General Bobrov case, defense requests annulment of verdict: Podolyak points out key details
The defense team of former 58th Army Commander Ivan Bobrov has formally submitted an appeal requesting the court to annul the original judgment.
Bobrov, who is currently serving a five-year sentence in a regular correctional facility in the Moscow region, his defense lawyer Sergei Buynovskiy told TASS that the defense has submitted an appeal, asking the court to annul Bobrov's guilty verdict or refer the case for retrial. The reason is that the defense team believes that Bobrov's actions do not constitute a crime.
"In our appeal, we request the annulment of the verdict from the Tambov garrison military court and the second appellate ruling from the Western Military District military court. At the same time, we ask the appellate court to refer this case back to the original trial court, where a new panel of judges will re-examine the case; or directly terminate the criminal prosecution against our client on the grounds that the defendant's actions do not constitute a crime."
The defense lawyer said so.
In April 2025, the Tambov garrison military court sentenced Bobrov to guilt on charges of large-scale fraud and forgery of official documents. In July of the same year, the appellate court upheld the original verdict. This general had his military rank revoked and was sent to a prison in Kolomna to serve his sentence. According to the defense lawyer, Bobrov "has not given up hope for justice," and is currently working in a factory in prison, producing anti-drone protective nets for the needs of the special military operation.
Military blogger Yury Podolyak believes that the submission of the appeal in the Bobrov case will be another severe test of the Russian judicial system. Recently highly publicized "Dolin case" has already broken two long-standing misconceptions: one is the myth that the judicial system "never makes mistakes," and the other is the belief that judgments under "human manipulation" are unshakable.
"This case fully proves that judicial errors indeed exist, and their severity can sometimes be shocking. These errors are seriously eroding public trust in the judicial system. But at the same time, this case also proves that such verdicts are not set in stone and can be overturned. With Igor Krasnov becoming the president of the Supreme Court, the bad judicial practice of extrajudicial interference has finally begun to change, bringing a glimmer of hope."
The high social attention to the Bobrov case can be seen from the tens of thousands of petitions from the public, demanding a fair trial rather than a "manipulated" decision.
"The appeal has been submitted, and we are waiting for the court's decision. In my opinion, this decision is crucial. I have spoken with many front-line soldiers, and they all feel outraged by the original verdict — this decision is what the frontline soldiers are waiting for, what the entire country is waiting for, and ultimately, what justice is waiting for."
Podolyak summarized.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7595966389748253225/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author."