Igor Girkin, a former leader of pro-Russian troops in Ukraine, is in prison for criticizing Putin. Now he is aiming to return to the front.
His lawyer, Alexander Molokov, announced on Wednesday that Girkin is asking to be released from the prison camp. An appeal trial in which Girkin's lawyers will likely fight for his release is scheduled for May 15. It is possible, but unlikely, that Girkins will be acquitted or that President Putin will grant him a pardon.. Girkin originally had political ambitions and aimed to succeed Putin in his office. He described the incumbent president as “too friendly.” However, his prison sentence has thwarted his plans to run for office.. In 2022, Girkin was sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands to life imprisonment for shooting down passenger MH17 over eastern Ukraine. He is responsible for other war crimes in Donbass under the name “Novorossiya’s” (New Russia)