Dmitry Shigaev, a Russian citizen detained in Armenia at Russia`s request, will be released from the Armavir penitentiary institution on August 20.

ArmInfo. Russian citizen Dmitry Shigaev, detained in Armenia at the request of the Russian side, will be released tomorrow from the "Armavir" penitentiary institution, where he has been held since September of last year. A criminal case has been opened against him in Russia for spreading knowingly false information about a terrorist attack.

"Tomorrow I will be released from the 'Armavir' penitentiary institution after 11 months and 10 days of imprisonment. I was detained in Armenia at the request of the Russian side. They consider the case against me to be politicized," Shigaev told ArmInfo in a phone call to the editorial office.

When asked to clarify what he is being accused of back home, he said he is being accused of "practically blowing up a military recruitment office."

In turn, human rights defender Ani Chatinyan from the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly told ArmInfo that the HCA had been working on Shigaev's case and had made every effort to ensure he was not handed over to the Russian side.

"Shigaev will be released after serving the maximum term of the measure provided for under this article. He still has restrictions on leaving Armenia, since there is still a risk of his extradition. However, Shigaev will have no restrictions on movement within Armenia," the human rights defender noted.

She also said that the Armenian side had granted the Russian side's request for his extradition, but the process has been delayed because the defense filed an appeal against this decision with a higher court. "The risk of his being handed over to his home country still remains at this stage, since the case has not yet been concluded," Chatinyan said.