“Today I submitted an application to the Investigative Committee of Russia and the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia with a request to initiate a criminal case on the grounds of corpus delicti under Art.

119 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: the threat of murder and infliction of grievous bodily harm, "- quoted by TASS.

According to the lawyer, in 2018-2019, Sokolov and Yeshchenko “received threats repeatedly” by phone and email.

“These threats were part of the persecution organized against Oleg Sokolov,” Torgashev said.

In July, Sokolov said in court that he committed the crime as a result of a "traumatic effect" that his scientific opponent Yevgeny Ponasenkov had on him.

According to the investigation, on November 7, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Sokolov shot Yeshchenko, and on the night of November 9, he decided to get rid of the body and dismembered it, after which he tried to drown the remains in the Moika River.

On October 12, in court, he pleaded guilty to the crime.