In Moscow, the trial of the “shooter from the MFC” Glazov begins

Psycho or not psycho – that is the question

On Thursday, April 20, the Moscow City Court will begin considering the case against ex-intelligence officer Sergei Glazov, who opened fire on people in the building of the My Documents center in the Ryazan district of the capital. Then, on December 7, 2021, two people died and four were injured. The investigation asks the court to impose compulsory medical measures on him, since the examination revealed that he had a serious mental illness. But the Prosecutor General’s Office may be against it. How she was against a similar verdict against another organizer of the mass execution – Ilnaz Galyaviev (murder of children in a Kazan school). As a result, Galyaviev, let me remind you, the court appointed a life sentence.

Can this happen to Glazov and how his fate is likely to develop – in the material of the MK columnist.

The cases of Galyaviev and Glazov are already similar in that the incidents involving them occurred in the same year (let me remind you that the execution in a Kazan school took place on May 11, the shooting in the capital’s MFC on December 7). And although men differ greatly from each other in their characteristics (including age, profession, etc.), they have one thing in common: a mental disorder. Moreover, it was precisely because of the oddities in Glazov’s behavior that he was dismissed from the service in intelligence.

“The indictment in the Glazov case came to the Prosecutor General’s Office just at the moment when the Galyaviev case lay there,” says lawyer Pyotr Koldov. – And unexpectedly, the Deputy Prosecutor General decided that Glazov should be sent for a second examination (the first one established the presence of a mental illness that deprived him of the opportunity, I quote, “to realize the actual nature and social danger of his actions and manage them”). He suspected that allegedly Glazov was trying to evade responsibility by feigning illness. As a result, Glazov was taken to St. Petersburg, where they conducted another examination. Its result is the same – a serious psychiatric illness is revealed. A person with such an ailment cannot be punished, but needs treatment. Investigators understand this. They themselves ask the court to assign him not a prison term, but compulsory treatment. But the final decision in any case is made by the judge.

Interestingly, Glazov does not consider himself mentally ill. Moreover, he insists on his normality. And he realizes that he can get a life sentence (if the court considers that, although he has a disease, he was aware of his actions at the time of the crime).

The likelihood that Glazov will be sent to compulsory treatment, and not to prison, is high. Firstly, unlike Galyaviev, he was registered with psychiatrists for more than 15 years in connection with complaints of hallucinations, uncontrolled aggression, etc. Secondly, the investigation itself asks for his treatment.

Interestingly, the investigator who led his case forbade Glazov to marry in jail. She substantiated this precisely by the fact that he does not give an account of his actions, including in such purely personal matters. And she, according to the lawyer, wanted to protect Glazov from the loss of his property (after marriage, the spouse could dispose of the apartment at her own discretion). The investigator’s refusal can be challenged in court, but so far Glazov has not done so. By the way, if he is sent for compulsory treatment, he will end up in PBSIN (specialized type psychiatric hospital with intensive supervision). And already there, doctors usually do not resist the desires of their patients to enter into marriages.

Now Sergei Glazov is in SIZO No. 2 (Butyrka), but not in a psychiatric prison hospital (it is located on the territory), but in a medical unit. He does not complain about the conditions of detention, does not cause problems to the staff. He was preparing for his first removal for consideration of the case on the merits in advance – he asked me to give him new clothes.

It is noteworthy that Glazov’s lawyer is trying to prosecute the police officer who inflicted 38 shocks on him with a stun gun after his arrest. But nothing came of this venture.

“Glazov survived by accident,” says Koldov. – This is confirmed by the examination, which showed that all 38 blows fell on the most painful points. Now the UK is checking the legality of the use of force. The fact is that there was no need to use special equipment, especially in such quantity. For us, this is a matter of principle: after all, this policeman can kill someone else if he is not punished. The police do not agree with us, they are trying to slow down the story with the use of a stun gun. We received the results of the interviews with the police from the capture team. Everyone claims that he did not beat Glazov. But the very policeman whom Glazov is ready to identify is being hidden from us.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29015 dated April 20, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Psycho or not psycho – that is the question