A 45-year-old man from Siberia has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to set fire to a military recruitment office.
Constructed Molotov Cocktails
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the sentence on Friday, according to Interfax news agency, and the case was covered by Digi24.
The man, a resident of Barnaul in the Altai region, was found guilty of working with a foreign state, membership in a terrorist organization, and planning a violent attack. According to investigators, he acted independently when he contacted a paramilitary terrorist group online, offering his services.
He then constructed Molotov cocktails to target a local recruitment office. However, authorities apprehended him before he could carry out the attack.
The 18-year sentence was handed down by a regional military court. The case is part of a broader crackdown by Russian authorities on dissent and opposition to the war in Ukraine, which escalated following Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Not the First Time
The FSB also reported the arrest of a 30-year-old man from Feodosia, a port city in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. This individual is accused of high treason for allegedly sharing information on Russian ship positions and military sites via the messaging app Telegram.
He is suspected of aiding Ukrainian forces in targeting Russian assets. A Ukrainian strike earlier in the week hit an oil terminal in Feodosia, which has continued to burn.
Russia has been increasing its efforts to suppress any real or perceived opposition to its war in Ukraine. Thousands of Russians have been charged for critical statements or acts of dissent, and dozens have already been sentenced to long prison terms for offenses such as high treason or terrorism.
In the wake of partial military mobilization announced by President Vladimir Putin in September 2022, at least 12 attacks using Molotov cocktails have targeted Russian military recruitment centers. In May 2022, a similar attack occurred at a military recruitment center in Crimea, coinciding with Putin's removal of the upper age limit for conscription.
