MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian man was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of high treason for a video he sent to Ukrainian security services, the latest in a series of espionage cases related to the conflict.
The Volgograd District Court said Nikita Zhuravel “did not agree with the political course of the Russian Federation” and conducted online correspondence with a representative of the Ukrainian security services and performed tasks for him. Details about the tasks were not given.
Zhuravel is already serving a 3.5-year prison sentence for burning a Koran in front of a mosque, which was handed down in February.
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Prosecutors said Zhuravel filmed a trainload of military equipment and warplanes in 2023 and sent the video to a representative of Ukraine’s security service.
Rights activists say Zhuravel is a political prisoner who was beaten while in custody.
While in pre-trial detention before his first sentence, Zhuravel was beaten by the 15-year-old son of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-appointed strongman leader of the predominantly Muslim region of Chechnya. The elder Kadyrov posted the video on social media and praised his son, sparking public outrage.
Federal authorities have refrained from any criticism of the Chechen strongman.
Treason and espionage cases have skyrocketed after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. The cases targeted a wide range of suspects, from Kremlin critics and independent journalists to scientists, and attracted the attention of rights groups.
The legal definition of treason has been expanded to include providing vaguely defined “assistance” to foreign countries or organizations, effectively exposing anyone who comes into contact with foreigners to prosecution.
