Serpukhov, Moscow Province, Russia, July 26, 2022
Photo: novostivl.ru
The young man who set off an explosion at an Orthodox school south of Moscow in December was sentenced to 13 years in prison yesterday.
Vladislav Struzhenkov, an 18-year-old graduate of the Orthodox school at the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple Monastery in the city of Serpukhov south of Moscow, set off a bomb at his alma mater on December 13. About a dozen children were injured.
Struzhenkov intended to kill himself in the explosion, though doctors were able to save his life. He did, however, lose a leg in the blast.
He was charged with the attempted murder of two or more persons, the illegal manufacture and transportation of explosives, and property damage by arson. Struzhenkov plead guilty on all charges, reports RIA-Novosti.
According to yesterday’s verdict, the bomber will serve his sentence in a high-security prison. The judge also fined him $3,500 (205,000 rubles) and a year of probation after prison. His father paid $1,810 (106,000 rubles) to cover the damage to the school.
Commenting on the verdict, a source in the Russian Church told RIA-Novosti:
The act committed by Struzhenkov, of course, meets the criteria of a terrorist act, so the punishment is fitting. At the same time, of course, we’d like him to have the opportunity to repent of this crime, and we hope that the prison priests, as far as possible, will be able to help him in this. He’s a young man, and despite the severity of the crime he committed, we believe his life isn’t over, and his fate is better than that of those who committed suicide during such attacks or were eliminated by law enforcement agencies.
An eyewitness to the incident believes a miracle prevented greater casualties from the explosion.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
