A Russian court has sentenced a Russian-Ukrainian man who blew up a railway track on Russian soil to a draconian 22 years in prison, despite not injuring anyone.
The Second Western Military District Court handed the stiff sentence to defendant Sergey Belavin over his act of “sabotage” in the Bryansk region in summer 2022.
The court also slapped Belavin, who is a dual Russian-Ukrainian national, with a fine of RUB 800,000 (GBP 6,700).
The court had found him guilty of training for terrorist activities, committing a terror attack in a group, illegal acquisition and storage of explosives, and illegal manufacture of an explosive device.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee, Belavin was recruited by the Ukrainian Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate in 2019.
He allegedly joined a group under its command in exchange for money.
From 2019 to 2021, according to the Russian authorities, he was trained in terrorist activities, handling explosives, and radio-controlled explosive devices in Ukraine.
He was also taught intelligence, concealment, information gathering, and transmission tactics, according to the Russians.
After Putin’s “special military operation” was launched, Belavin was sent to carry out a “terrorist attack” on Russian soil by Ukrainian intelligence chiefs, the court heard.
In June 2022, he crossed into Russia, where he retrieved a prepared cache of explosives, with which he made a remotely-controlled explosive device.
He then placed the device on a railway track near the village of Robchik.
The device detonated on 9th July as a freight train approached, causing damage to both the track and the train, and causing delays on the line. No one was injured.
The Russian Investigative Committee stated at the time: “After committing the crime, Belavin attempted to flee but was apprehended thanks to the coordinated efforts of the law enforcement representatives of Russia.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 520th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 28th July 2023, Russia had lost about 244,830 personnel, 4,190 tanks, 8,161 armoured combat vehicles, 4,775 artillery units, 698 multiple launch rocket systems, 458 air defence systems, 315 warplanes, 311 helicopters, 4,007 drones, 1,347 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 7,240 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 709 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Japan has recently expanded its sanctions against Russia in response to the invasion. These new measures include a ban on exporting electric and hybrid vehicles to Russia.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, a Ukrainian drone was shot down in the Moscow region without any reported casualties.
During a military parade in Pyongyang, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech, read by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, praised North Korea for its “firm support for special military operations against Ukraine”, the hermit kingdom’s state news agency reported.
According to Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian soldiers have successfully regained control of the south-eastern village of Staromaiorske from Russian forces in the Donetsk region.
