Alexandra Ivannikova update

It seems that Alexandra Ivannikova, whose case recently got big publicity, will be cleared of all charges. I'm happy that she will be cleared, but, unfortunately, it is not a court, but prosecutor's office again that is the real judicial power in Russia.

The Moscow Prosecutor's Office has asked the Moscow City Court to annual the guilty verdict a lower court handed down against Alexandra Ivannikova, who killed a man while he was trying to rape her.

"The capital's prosecutor's office has lodged a prosecutor's appeal with the Moscow City Court asking it to overturn the guilty verdict handed down against Ivannikova and to drop the criminal case against her due to the absence of any crime," a prosecutor's office spokesman told Interfax.

On the bright side, this case showed the power of Russian public opinion. Demonstrations weren't numerous, but they were held by very unlikely allies: anti-immigration nationalists, liberals and gun right activists united for anything would be almost unimaginable before. Naturally, they weren't truly united, and each side tried to show clearly that they are here on their own, but such disunity of thought combined with unity of action is the most powerful combination.