The Southern District Military Court sentenced 23-year-old Alushta resident Albert Kruglov, who was accused of trying to go to fight in Ukraine as part of the Azov battalion, to eight years in a maximum security colony. Mediazona was informed about this by the press service of the court.
Kruglov was found guilty of preparation for participation in the activities of a terrorist organization (Part 1 of Article 30 of the Criminal Code, Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code), as well as preparation for high treason (Part 1 of Article 30 of the Criminal Code, Article 275 UK). The Alushta resident will spend the first three years of his sentence in prison.
The prosecution asked that the young man be sentenced to 12 years in a maximum security colony. The defendant, according to TASS, repented of his crime.
According to court materials, in the period from September 21 to November 16, 2022, the defendant decided to leave for Ukraine, “wanting to take part” in the activities of the Azov battalion, acquired “items and funds” for this and “developed a secret route for his route.”
On October 28, Kruglov, according to the court’s press service, discussed in correspondence the proposed route to Ukraine, as well as “the possibility of acquiring special military equipment” with a Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman, but on November 16, “his activities were stopped by law enforcement officers.” TASS adds that, according to investigators, Kruglov tried to join Azov twice.
The human rights society Memorial clarified that during the trial, Kruglov confirmed that he corresponded with members of the Ukrainian battalion. According to him, since 2014 he “has disliked the political course pursued by Russia on the territory of Ukraine.” The Crimean has Ukrainian and Russian citizenship, and he plans to renounce the latter. “It was a rash action, I was underage at the time, I would never have taken it myself,” Memorial reported his words.
In June 2019, the Alushta City Court of the annexed Crimea found the then 19-year-old Kruglov guilty of illegally acquiring and storing explosive devices and public calls for extremism on the Internet (Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code and Part 1 of Article 280 UK). The verdict was not published on the court's website. TASS writes that Kruglov was then sentenced to a year and eight months in prison and a fine of 60 thousand rubles.
The FSB Directorate for Crimea reported that in July 2018, “two homemade devices with damaging elements disguised as a thermos and a bottle.” “As an adherent of pagan ideology, he published a message from his page on social networks containing calls for violent actions against a group of people based on religious affiliation. During the investigation, he fully admitted his guilt,” the special service said in a statement.