A Russian military court announced today that it had sentenced a resident of the Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia to 14 years in prison for treason in favor of Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported.
Since its invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022, Russia has launched a large-scale crackdown on critics of the war, and trials for "treason", "terrorism", "extremism", "sabotage" and "espionage" are increasing, AFP noted.
"A staunch supporter" of the "Legion of Freedom of Russia", which is classified as a terrorist organization by Russian authorities, Sergei Bryukhanov "was sentenced to 14 years in prison," the Second Eastern District Court said in a statement.
He was accused of having made contact with the organization recruiting volunteers for Ukraine and of having joined its ranks, the court said in a statement.
"Although he was aware that this organization was controlled and led by Ukrainian special services and was carrying out actions aimed at the security of Russia" Bryukhanov committed "treason" on her orders, collecting and transmitting information about strategic objects to the Ministry of Defense," the court also wrote.
He is also accused of engraving the organization's symbols in various places in Irkutsk and engaging his relatives to help him in his activities, the statement said.
In addition to the "treason" trials since 2022, thousands of people in Russia have been punished, threatened or imprisoned for their opposition to the conflict in Ukraine, AFP reported.