Overview
- Closing arguments opened on October 29 in the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don.
- The eight defendants—Artem Azatyan, Georgy Azatyan, Oleg Antipov, Aleksandr Bylin, Vladimir Zloba, Dmitry Tyazhelykh, Roman Solomko and Artur Terchanyan—are charged with terrorism and illegal handling of explosives, with Solomko and Terchanyan also accused of smuggling explosive devices.
- Their lawyer says all eight deny guilt, and the defense is scheduled to present its case on October 30 before the court proceeds to a verdict.
- Investigators allege SBU official Vasily Malyuk coordinated an explosive disguised as construction film that was moved by truck to the bridge in 2022, killing the driver and four people in a nearby car.
- Proceedings are closed to the public with case files restricted for official use, and authorities say additional suspects have been placed on wanted lists.