Activists delivered medicines to the Kuban pensioner Zakharova in the detention center.
Volunteer Julia delivered medicines and food to the pre-trial detention center No. 3 in Novocherkassk on October 20 for 70-year-old Marina Zakharova, who is accused in the case of Kuban pensioners. According to her, the package was not accepted immediately: the detention center staff claimed that Zakharova was not in the facility.
As reported by “Caucasian Knot”, Marina Zakharova, Nikolai Nabiyev, and Sergey Kuzovenko are accused of creating an illegal armed formation and illegal arms trafficking. All three are elderly people with health problems, and they do not admit their guilt. The case is being heard by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don. Zakharova complained in a letter about the lack of medicines and the stuffiness in her cell.
Nabiyev, Kuzovenko, and Zakharova are accused of creating an armed group and possession of weapons. According to a source, the case is fabricated and based "only on provocations" by FSB officers, who bought alcoholic beverages and filmed the two pensioners during feasts for a year. The pensioners have been in pre-trial detention for over two years, and they do not admit their guilt, stating that they tried to fight corruption in government bodies. The movement “Help for Political Prisoners” regularly sends money transfers to Nabiyev, Kuzovenko, and Zakharova's accounts in the FSIN system so they can buy food and necessary items while in detention.
Julia, who was previously unfamiliar with Zakharova, delivered a package weighing 15.81 kilograms to the detention center. The money for food, medicines, and travel was collected by supporters of the movement “Help for Political Prisoners,” she told a correspondent from “Caucasian Knot.”
In a statement dated October 20, addressed to the detention center (a copy of the document is in the possession of “Caucasian Knot”), the volunteer requests to accept a medical package for Zakharova. The handwritten list includes six items: validol, nitroglycerin, anaprilin, complivit, motherwort, and iodomarina. The statement was posted in the volunteer group as confirmation that a separate medical package was arranged for Zakharova. This procedure is established by the rules of the closed institution.
In addition to medicines, Julia brought cookies, sweet bagels, crispbreads, instant noodles, cheese, sausage and meat cuts, canned goods, and other packaged products. Photos show what was in the package. She also added fruits and tea.
Julia handed the photos and receipts to Elena Rokhlina, the founder and leader of the movement “Help for Political Prisoners,” for a report to the people who helped raise the money. According to Julia, the detention center staff weigh the packages, record the weight in the institution's notes, and then these notes are given to the inmate along with the products.
Obstacles to the delivery in the detention center
Julia had previously brought a package to Zakharova on August 13. At that time, she said, everything went quickly and without difficulties. In October, the trip turned out to be much more complicated.
At the beginning of October, packages were not accepted in Novocherkassk due to a sanitary day. On October 13, Julia was informed that Zakharova had been taken to Rostov-on-Don for a court hearing, and she went there. On October 14, the Rostov detention center told her that Zakharova had already been returned to Novocherkassk, and the package was not accepted.
On October 20, Julia came to Novocherkassk again. At the package acceptance window, she was told that Zakharova was not in the facility. She stayed on site and began to find out whether the inmate had been transferred to another detention center. “I started calling the detention center No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don. One person told me that she was there, and she had not been brought back yet,” Julia said.
According to her, the staff referred to each other and did not give a clear answer over the phone, calling the information a secret. Julia explained that she was not asking for the inmate's details to be disclosed, but wanted to know the acceptance rules and understand whether it was worth taking the package to Rostov. By that time, the funds raised for travel were almost gone, and it would have been difficult to get home with a heavy package using public transport.
After several calls and repeated inquiries to the staff, she was informed that Zakharova was indeed in detention center No. 3. In Julia's opinion, they simply sympathized with her. A staff member at the institution in Novocherkassk allowed the package to be accepted, and the package was accepted.
Julia volunteered to help after seeing a message in the volunteer chat about the search for someone to deliver a package to Zakharova. Before that, she did not know either the woman or the details of the case. She is not part of a specialized volunteer organization and does not regularly deliver packages to inmates; she has a job and her own affairs.
“I opened it, read who needed help… The year of birth immediately caught my eye, and of course, it struck me and did not leave me indifferent. At such an age to be behind bars when you should be living the remaining time and enjoying freedom… This affected me deeply, and I could not just walk past,” Julia said.
Activists lament problems with fundraising
From Rokhlina, she received about 10,000 rubles, and more money was given by acquaintances who learned about the trip. Rokhlina had previously told “Caucasian Knot” that the movement helps Zakharova and other elderly figures in the case: it collects money for food and medicines. According to her, donations have decreased, and the volume of assistance has to be limited.
Julia turned out to be the only person willing to go with the package, confirmed Elena Rokhlina. “People simply cannot physically go several kilometers from their place of residence after work, stand in line, endure all the bureaucratic hurdles; everyone is busy with their own survival,” she explained.
According to Rokhlina, Zakharova has two sons, but they do not keep in touch with their mother. The reasons are unknown to Rokhlina, and she has not been able to establish contact with Zakharova's relatives. Therefore, help is organized by people who were previously unfamiliar with her.
Volunteers hope to receive confirmation from Zakharova herself in correspondence that she received the food and medicines. Rokhlina published a report in the general chat about how much money was raised, what it was spent on, and what was delivered to Zakharova.
Rokhlina also reported that the movement announced a fundraising campaign for food for the beneficiaries for the New Year holidays. According to her, the fundraising is going poorly. The movement receives feedback from Zakharova and other beneficiaries, but not from Nabiyev and Kuzovenko. Rokhlina hopes that they will report whether the packages and monthly money transfers reach them.
On October 17, Rokhlina told “Caucasian Knot” that the detention center where seriously ill inmates are held lacks medical assistance. There are no pharmacies there, and the stores are very expensive: a kilogram of oranges costs about a thousand rubles. According to her, it would be easier to transfer money for medicines than to transport them across different cities.