Vitaly Koltsov, 47 years old, a father of many children, a poet, a developer of intellectual games, an Orthodox believer, a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Russian State University for Humanities.
On 2 May 2022, Koltsov came to the Metropol Hotel at Revolyutsii Square in Moscow wearing a suit and tie, and with a briefcase containing a box of matches and a telephone. He threw two bottles of gasoline into Rosgvardiya buses in protest against the ban on peaceful mass demonstrations which has been tightened since the start of the war.
No one was hurt in the fire of a car for transporting detainees. Koltsov was placed in a pre-trial detention center and charged with an attempt on the lives of twelve police officers, which could lead to life imprisonment.
From the very beginning of his detention, Koltsov claimed that he had no intention of killing anyone. His wife Irina told the Orthodox media Pravmir: “He is a believer, therefore I knew that he could not harm people. He believed that murder is unacceptable. Christians understand this: because life is given by God, no one has the right to take it.»
The hearing of the case against Koltsov, who is accused of assault on the life of law enforcement officers (Article 317 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and property damage (Article 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), is being held in the Moscow City Court. At the proceeding on 6 June 2023, the jury found Koltsov not guilty of attempted murder of twelve police officers, however they found him guilty of property damage.
On June 2023, Koltsov was condemned for 6 years imprisonment term.
