Russian student sentenced to 19 years over alleged mosque attack plot; father claims he was tortured

The Second Western District Military Court in Russia has handed Dmitry Bokov, a 19-year-old student at the Russian State University for the Humanities, a 19-year prison term for preparing a terrorist attack on a mosque. The outlets Ostorozhno, Novosti and Msk1 reported the verdict, citing the defendant's relatives.

Bokov was found guilty under four articles of the Russian Criminal Code: undergoing training for terrorist activity (Article 205.3), preparing to join a terrorist organization (Article 205.5), weapons offenses (Article 222) and preparing a terrorist act (Article 205).

Arrest and charges

The student was detained in October 2025. At first he was accused of trying to join the far-right movement "White Power," which is banned in Russia. He was later charged with preparing an attack on a mosque and illegally possessing ammunition.

According to Ostorozhno, Novosti, investigators classed as terrorist training his attendance at a classroom session on how weapons work at Patriot Park, self-defense classes run by the patriotic initiative Chistota, and a few driving lessons at a Moscow college.

Relatives allege torture

Bokov's family says the case rests on a smartphone that was not his, taken during a search. His father told Msk1 that the young man refused to give officers the passcode to his own phone. According to the father, he was shocked in the leg with a stun gun several times, then handcuffed again with his hands behind his back, and wires from a field telephone cable were wrapped around his hands and fingers.

The relatives also say officers asked Bokov not to mention the torture in court, promising house arrest in return. Instead, he spent the whole period before the trial in a pretrial detention center.