Russian prosecutors have requested prison sentences ranging from 10 to 28 years for eight alleged Ukrainian intelligence agents accused of plotting a series of terrorist attacks in Crimea.
The case is being heard at the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, a representative for the court told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
State prosecutors asked the court to impose terms between 10 and 28 years in prison for the eight defendants. The accused individuals were named as Viktor Podvalny, who used the callsign Sokrat, alongside Igor Zorin, Denis Petranov, Sergei Krivoshein, Kirill Barannikov, Sergei Voinarovsky, Yelena Voinarovskaya and Olga Kravchuk.
Three of the defendants, Podvalny, Krivoshein and Sergei Voinarovsky, are included on Russia's official registry of terrorists and extremists. The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, a major city in southwestern Russia, is a specialized military tribunal that frequently handles high-profile national security and terrorism cases.
Targeting Crimean leadership and transport
Russia's domestic security agency, the Federal Security Service or FSB, first announced the arrest of the suspect group in May 2023. Security officials said at the time that the network was operating as agents for the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, commonly known as GUR.
According to the FSB, the network was preparing a coordinated series of attacks across the peninsula. Investigators said their primary targets included Sergei Aksyonov, the head of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, the chairman of the Crimean parliament, and Yanina Pavlenko, the mayor of the resort city of Yalta.
Aksyonov has served as the Russian-appointed head of Crimea since 2014, while Konstantinov has led the regional legislature in Simferopol. Yalta is a major tourist and resort hub located on the southern coast of the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
In addition to political figures, investigators stated that the alleged plotters were directed to target transport infrastructure facilities across the region. Key bridges, railway networks and road links connect the Black Sea peninsula to mainland Russia.
Explosives hidden in household stoves
Russian investigators alleged that the plot was organized directly by Roman Mashovets, the deputy head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mashovets has also been added by Russian authorities to the national register of terrorists and extremists.
According to the prosecution, the suspects worked under the direction of Mashovets to gather surveillance and intelligence on the daily routines of their intended targets. Investigators further claimed that the group brought improvised explosive devices into Russia from Bulgaria, concealing the bombs inside household electric stoves.
The register of terrorists and extremists is maintained by Russian authorities to restrict the financial and legal activities of individuals accused of security-related offenses, including freezing their bank accounts within Russia.
