Some of them are members of Komsomol organisation, other uphold radical left-wing views. Secretary of Odessa City Komsomol Committee A. Yakovenko and a Moscow revolutionary Bolshevik I. Danilov have been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Six people have been given various terms in labour camps of between 6 and 13 years. Two were given conditional sentences.

It took Judge V. Topolev over five hours to read out a 100-page verdict. The criminal case’s 40 volumes give a detailed description of how the Komsomol members robbed jewellery and pawn shops, currency exchange points and made attempts on militiamen’s lives. They bought in handguns, grenades, explosives and distributed a militant newspaper Soviet Rabochikh Deputatov (Council of Workers’ Deputies) and brochures calling to overthrow the constitutional order. In autumn 2002 Komsomol members blew up a litter bin outside State Security Service of Ukraine in Kiev. A plan they devised to form a Primorskaya Soviet Socialist Republic in Odessa, Nikolaev and Kherson regions was confiscated. "We shall defend the proletariat and establish a just regime with the help of coup d’?tat," promised the young revolutionaries in their leaflets.

As the case was examined in court, Russian Movement For Release of Political Prisoners — Against State Extremism reported that a press conference had been held in Moscow where human rights activists were present. The conference had been organised by a Novaya Gazeta (New Newspaper) analyst, socialist Boris Kagarlitskiy. The conference was gathered because of information that Komsomol members were subjected to monstrous torture. They had wire inserted in their genitals, needles pushed under their nails, they were put on the rack handcuffed, their ribs and chest cages were broken. 20-year-old S. Berdiughin died from torture last November.

Some of this information has been given by 17-year-old Komsomol member Nina Podolskaya. She agreed to cooperate with the investigation. She was released on condition not to leave. After her release the girl said that her comrades were being beaten. Unfortunately she did not witness the torture as she was kept in a separate cell. This was the reason why the court dismissed her evidence. As for the death of S. Berdiughin in a cell of Odessa Remand Prison, medical experts concluded: "He died of a cancerous tumour that had spread into his liver and spleen." Berdiughin’s mother agreed with the experts. "I don’t want anyone to make a political capital out of my late son’s name," she stated.

During questioning investigator persuaded the arrested to admit their guilt, betray their friends and repent. In return they were promised a prompt release and good prospects. Some Komsomol members believed investigators and gave the evidence they required. Incidentally, the organiser of the abovementioned press conference in Moscow, Novaya Gazeta analyst Boris Kagarlitskiy in 1982-83 following similar questioning in Committee for State Security (KGB), confessed and "exposed" the work of dissident Mikhail Rivkin. For the help to KGB, Andropov’s Supreme Council of the USSR pardoned Kagarlitskiy even before the court proceedings had begun. Rivkin, however, was sentenced to 7 years in prison and 5 in exile for "anti-Soviet campaigning and propaganda".

Among the convicted were also five Russian nationals. After the sentence has been affirmed, they may be deported to complete their convictions in Russia. However, Komsomol members and their families stated that they would appeal against the sentence in Ukraine’s Supreme Court. Ukrainian communists are now speaking out in defence of the terrorists. During the investigation they did not put up the money to pay for lawyers. But today class interests of their own in the case have come along which are connected with the upcoming fight for presidential chair.