He was detained on June 8 of last year and has remained in custody ever since. Zimin is accused of “deliberately throwing a piece of asphalt at an OMON officer during the unrest” (OMON is Russia’s riot police). According to the prosecution, the stone broke the officer’s finger. However, a forensic examination found that the officer’s finger had been broken by twisting, not by the impact of a heavy object. Moreover, the officer initially said he had not seen the attacker, but a month later suddenly “remembered” and identified Stepan. Actor Alexander Filippenko says about Stepan:
