At the trial, Dolgikh said he would go insane and asked to be sent to Ganino.

      The hearing scheduled for 9:30 began at about 9:34. However, the usual image of Anton Dolgikh behind bars, the brisk lawyers in front of him and Tatyana sitting on the front bench until the court asked the witnesses to leave, was missing. Neither his wife nor the lawyers had appeared for the first part of the session. Even the prosecutor was different today.

      Looking unusually disheveled and downcast, Anton tearfully and hoarsely begged the court not to delay the case and to start the hearing without lawyers. At that moment it turned out there were not so many defenders left: the agreement with Pavel Rozuvan had been terminated, Marta Kostina was again on sick leave, and Violetta Volkova was flying in from Moscow at 9:25 and therefore would not make the start. She had warned she would be there by 10:00, so the court, accommodating this, announced a break until 10:10.

      At 10:17 we returned to the hall to confirm Violetta’s absence, to hear once more how Anton Dolgikh did not want to delay the proceedings and, lowering his eyes to the floor like a small child, to beg for one more break so the matter would not be postponed for a month. In speaking with the judge, the not-yet-convicted Dolgikh repeatedly said that everything happening to him was an unbearable torture driving him mad: “Shorten my suffering — don’t delay the investigation.” The court again made concessions and announced a break of “about 30 minutes.”

      We had barely left the courtroom when Tatyana and Violetta burst into the foyer, which brought the break to an early end. It turned out the lawyer’s plane had departed late, and after landing the boarding ramp did not reach the aircraft for a long time.

      The moment Anton saw the late-arriving women, a one-man show began. He pounced (verbally) on his wife, accusing her of setting him up and not understanding how hard it was for him. After all, she was free and he was not... He demanded another lawyer, to get “that... Pasha” (Rozuvan) back. While Violetta Volkova and Tatyana Makarova, tense from what was apparently a rather nerve-wracking morning, tried to convince the defendant that he should not throw a tantrum and shout and that the other lawyer was ill and would soon return to work, Dolgikh continued at a raised voice to argue that they did not understand how much he was suffering and how he did not want to delay the case. “I’m suffering because of this, bunny! I could literally go insane!” Dolgikh screamed.

      A few minutes after the “performance” the stage of ruling on motions began. The court announced that the Sixth Cassation Court on September 15, 2025 had denied the motion to change venue. After that they read Dolgikh’s motion to change his measure of restraint to a milder one. Speaking, Anton said that he had not booked any airline tickets, contrary to what was written in the indictment, and had not influenced the witnesses. And he certainly did not intend to flee. “It is obvious to everyone present that all that is happening here is revenge and a reprisal!” he shouted again.

      Of the three proposed places for possible house arrest he asked to choose the apartment in Ganino. As arguments for changing the measure of restraint he said that all the purposes of the investigation would be achieved, he would be under control (as in the detention center), would not leave the residence (as in the detention center), would not influence witnesses (as in the detention center), etc. At the end of his tirade he emphasized that this was not audacity, because he was not asking for an undertaking not to leave or a ban on certain actions. And, of course, once again he asked “if possible, to conduct the judicial investigation and schedule hearings as soon as possible.”

      Defense lawyer Violetta Volkova supported her client. She noted there were no grounds for detention, since Dolgikh had surrendered voluntarily and had cooperated with the investigation. She again reminded the court about the duplication of counts. The prosecutor asked the court to deny the motion, saying there were no grounds for changing the measure of restraint.

      Having heard the parties’ opinions, the court ruled that the measure of restraint imposed on August 8 (remand in custody) would remain unchanged until January 29, 2026. It then announced that the preparatory part of the hearing was concluded.

      At that moment the audience’s attention turned to the prosecutor, who began to read the indictment. It is, by the way, quite substantial for Anton Dolgikh: a stack of papers at least 1.5–2 cm thick. The defendant sat hunched and sad, listening and glancing despairingly and sadly from the prosecutor to the floor. Then he fell into thought and did not lift his eyes. At about 11:55 the prosecutor stopped and asked the court for a lunch recess. When given the floor, Anton mumbled that he would not have an opportunity to eat, so he was against it. The court announced a recess until 12:48. With that the first part of the session ended.

      The hearing concluded with the prosecutor not having finished reading the indictment before the court adjourned. The next hearing in the Dolgikh case is scheduled for October 15.