A resident of Pskov was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison in a case of treason

The Pskov Regional Court sentenced a resident of Pskov to 5.5 years in a strict regime colony in a case of high treason. This is reported by PAI with reference to the regional office of the Border Service of the FSB.

According to the special service, the accused was allegedly planning to join the Ukrainian Kraken battalion. He tried to get to Ukraine through third countries.

The FSB claims that the Pskov resident was unable to carry out his plan because he was detained by Border Service officers. The name of the convicted person was not given, the trial was held behind closed doors.

• Since the beginning of 2023, at least 20 criminal cases have been opened in Russia under the article on treason. This is five times more than in the same period last year. For the whole of 2022, 22 criminal cases of state treason were initiated. According to forecasts of human rights activist Evgeny Smirnov, at least one hundred cases will be opened by the end of 2023. The lawyer explains this growth with the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin about the search for internal enemies, as well as the legislative changes that have taken place.
• Now cases of treason are being initiated on suspicion of an intention to fight on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, financing of Ukrainian troops, transfer of information to Ukraine or arson of a military enlistment office.
• Cases of high treason are almost always marked “secretly”, and the defenders are under a non-disclosure agreement, so information about the essence of the accusation becomes known only in isolated cases. Over the past 20 years, not a single acquittal has been handed down on charges of treason. Several cases were closed, including in connection with the death of the suspect.