Sympathizers were able to deliver parcels to Kuban pensioners in the pretrial detention center.

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Kuban pensioners Nikolai Nabiev, Sergei Kuzovenko, and Marina Zakharova, accused of creating an illegal armed group, received packages from sympathizers timed to coincide with the start of Maslenitsa week. A relative of Nabiev reported that they are prohibited from visiting, but are allowed to correspond.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," pensioners Nikolai Nabiev, Sergei Kuzovenko, and Marina Zakharova, accused of creating an illegal armed group, complained of health problems in pretrial detention. On June 6, the Uspensky District Court of the Krasnodar Territory declined to issue a verdict and referred the case to the Southern District Military Court. On February 19, the defendants' pretrial detention was extended, and doctors prohibited Nabiyev from participating in the trial due to health reasons.

On February 16, sympathetic citizens delivered packages to Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don for the pensioners held there, one of the defendants' associates, Olga, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on condition of anonymity. She explained her decision not to give her last name by saying she "wasn't ready to end up behind bars in her old age, given her existing illnesses."

The delivery was timed to coincide with the first day of Maslenitsa week. According to Olga, other pensioners are helping those in custody. "These same pensioners sacrifice what they have, share their last – food, clothing, money. People want elderly prisoners not to feel lonely? To somehow support their spirits in captivity," she said.

This is a human tragedy.

Olga emphasized that many elderly people are sensitive to the situation and are trying to relate to it. "People understand well how difficult it is to spend the rest of your life behind barbed wire at the age of almost 70, knowing you've committed no crime: you didn't kill anyone, you didn't steal anything, you didn't covet anyone else's property, you simply had your own critical opinion and way of thinking. This is a human tragedy," the interviewee said.

She reported that sympathizers are trying to attend court hearings. "About ten of us came to the Southern District Military Court on February 11th. We were traveling from the Krasnodar Territory, but we were denied access to the courtroom. "We wanted to at least greet Marina Zakharova, Nikolai Nabiev, and Sergei Kuzovenko from the sidelines, to wave to them, but they are being brought in like dangerous criminals through a closed entrance where we have no access," she said.

The case of Nabiev, Kuzovenko, and Zakharova has been heard in the military court since December 2025, a military court representative confirmed to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The hearings have been postponed about five times. The last hearing was on the merits and took place on February 11, the next one is scheduled for March 4. The hearings are closed to the public and the media, but the case can be followed on the court's website," he explained.

According to Nikolai Nabiev's relative, the defendants are not allowed to visit their relatives, but correspondence is permitted. Through their lawyers, the defendants express their gratitude to everyone who sends them packages. The source told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Nabiyev was discharged from the hospital in January, but his condition remains serious, as it is difficult to obtain quality treatment in a closed facility.

The elderly do not admit their guilt

One of the lawyers told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that, by agreement, only Marina Zakharova has legal representation; the other defendants have state-appointed lawyers. "The elderly do not admit their guilt. At the final hearing on February 11, the state prosecutor read out the indictment. Despite this being the fifth hearing, the trial essentially started from scratch and largely mirrors the hearings held in the Uspensky District Court. The next meeting is scheduled for March 4," he said.