Chief Prosecutor opens trial accusing Sukhorukov and co-defendants of ‘subverting democratic government’
The trial which sees former Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Party leader Alexei Sukhorukov accused of electoral fraud has begun at the Karasicena High Criminal Court. Chief Prosecutor Irina Volokhova, a long-standing assistant barrister at the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau, opened proceedings yesterday on behalf of the Union Court’s Federal Electoral Regulatory Board, accusing Sukhorukov and five co-defendants (former campaign manager Tatyana Yermakova, logistics head Petro Bondarenko, treasurer Andrei Kovtun, junior staffer Oksana Shulga and IT assistant Dmitry Saveliev) of a “plot to undermine and subvert democratic government”. The six she said had “conspired against the public” – manipulating ballot papers, bribing officials and using force to gain unauthorised access to polling sites. All, particularly Kovtun and Shulga, are also charged with destruction of evidence and obstruction of justice. Notoriously aggressive defence counsellor Viktor Slezko is representing all six defendants, and will give his opening statement, where he is expected to call the whole case a “conspiracy concocted by political opponents”, later today.
Wiese dam disaster claims almost a thousand lives as rescue crews prepare to end search
Almost 10 days after the Hintersee Dam in the province of Wilhelmsee in neighbouring Wiesereich collapsed, rescue crews are expected to formally end their search for survivors. The disaster has claimed some 988 lives, most from the villages of Ludwigstadt am See and Neusteg which both laid directly in the flood path. That death toll is expected to climb further in the coming days and weeks, as missing people are confirmed dead and many others in hospital are unlikely to overcome major injury. Prime Minister Serbin is expected to travel to the area to take part in a memorial service to be held at the weekend, where he will join other Gallian leaders in paying tribute to emergency workers, including those from Polasciana, who have formed an international rescue taskforce. Wiese’s Chancellor Besselman had sent an urgent request for support and help, with the country’s own emergency services overwhelmed by the scale of the destruction. It will now take several months for the clear-up to continue, alongside a full-scale investigation into how the dam burst, and how the safety of other such major installations can be assured.
Commander General asks government to support new wave of military recruitment as figures drop
The country’s military chief, Commander General Sydorenko, has called on the government to support a major campaign to increase military recruitment after application figures for armed forces positions dropped for the third consecutive year. In a letter to Defence Minister Evgeny Almarav, the general said that the “worrying trend” suggested the military was “becoming a less favoured destination for young people”, blaming the removal of compulsory military service as having caused “long term pressures on recruitment”. Sydorenko said he was in favour of restoring “some form” of military service, potentially alongside a civic route, which could boost “interest and understanding” in the armed forces. Polasciana’s standing army has been particularly depleted over several years, standing at its lowest level since unification. The general was a former advisor, on secondment from the military, to presidents Lukyanov and Artamova, but is thought to have disagreed with several stances from both leaders on military affairs. He was appointed in 2020 in a deal between Prime Minister Serbin and President Tattar.
