The Case of Nikita Uvarov: Minecraft and Government Persecution
This story has all the elements of a true government witch hunt, with terrible consequences for everyone involved. On February 10th of this year, 16-year-old Nikita Uvarov was found guilty and sentenced to 5 years in prison, in a case that was primarily based on his activities in the online game, Minecraft.
The Arrest
It all started with 3 boys, Bogdan Andreev, Denis Mikhailenko, and Nikita Uvarov, who were barely 14 years old at the time, when they got arrested in the southern part of Siberia. These three were hit with what you can easily describe as the worst possible charge to get in Russia, which is being part of a Terrorist Organization to overthrow the Government.
The Charges
The charges against the boys included planning to overthrow the government, training for terrorist activities, possession of explosives, and reading forbidden literature. The evidence brought forth to warrant such serious charges revolved around the plans to blow up a government building in Minecraft.
The Virtual Evidence
The entire investigation was based on the destruction of a virtual building in a computer game. This is government conspiracy on steroids, where weak evidence is strung together to create an even weaker narrative so that they can convict innocent people of serious crimes.
Supporting Azat Mifstakhov
The only real thing these boys were guilty of was posting leaflets in the town of Kansk expressing support for a famous Russian mathematics student named Azat Mifstakhov. Azat was considered one of the best upcoming mathematicians in Russia and had won several awards during his time in college. However, his support came to an abrupt end when he was arrested on bogus charges for manufacturing explosives.
The Verdict
Driven by the Minecraft evidence, Nikita Uvarov was put in detention for almost 2 years, where he was questioned rigorously. In the end, the charges of being part of a terrorist organization were dropped, and he was only given 5 years in prison instead of the 9 years that the prosecution wanted.
This case is a clear example of the current reality of Putin’s Russia, where the government is so scared of any critical voices that they go to great lengths to cook up fake terrorism charges on thousands of young Russians, giving the appearance of a fair trial while locking people up unjustly.