A resident of the Moscow region was sentenced to 16 years in prison for providing information about the location of a Russian military facility to Ukraine and preparing attacks, the Russian Investigative Committee announced today, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reports.
According to the investigation, in April 2024, the man photographed the location of an air defense system in Podolsk, about 40 km south of Moscow. He sent the photos and geographical coordinates to Ukrainian sponsors with the aim of directing a drone strike against the military facility, the Investigative Committee statement said.
In addition, the Russian is accused of having in 2017 imported weapons from Ukraine into Russia to organize attacks in several Russian regions, including Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions, which border Ukraine.
A military court in Russia found him guilty on charges of preparing an attack, arms trafficking and complicity in terrorist activities, and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian authorities have intensified their crackdown on critics of the regime. Trials on charges of treason, terrorism, extremism, sabotage and espionage have increased significantly. In addition, thousands of people in Russia have been arrested, punished or threatened for their opposition to the war, AFP notes.