A Russian court in the western Kursk region has sentenced a 30-year-old Russian-Ukrainian man, Sergei Chernooky, to 22 years in prison on charges of treason and terrorism.
According to The Moscow Times, the court accused Chernooky of attempting to blow up a political office and providing intelligence on Russian transport infrastructure to Ukrainian authorities.
Video from the court proceedings showed Chernooky, confined in a glass and metal cage, closing his eyes as the harsh verdict was read.
"There was absolutely no damage. It's too harsh a sentence," he said, pledging to appeal.
The court described Chernooky as a "Ukrainian native" with Russian citizenship who lived in Zheleznogorsk, a town in the Kursk region.
This area has been a flashpoint in the ongoing conflict, with Ukraine launching cross-border offensives in the region and retaining control of some nearby territory.
This case is part of a broader pattern of severe penalties handed down by Russian courts against individuals accused of cooperating with Ukraine.
Since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion nearly three years ago, dozens of people have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms on similar charges.
In a separate case, a court in Russian-occupied Kherson sentenced a man to 14 years for treason and public calls for extremism.
Authorities alleged that he provided information on Russian military positions to the Ukrainian army, aiding in precision strikes.
He was also accused of online calls for attacks on Russian-installed officials in Nova Kakhovka, a town under Moscow's control.
