On October 5, the Krasnodar Regional Court sent for review the case of 29-year-old hacker Andrei Kovalenko on donations to FBK and distribution of malicious software. This was reported in the court ruling, which was noticed by Mediazona.
The appellate court overturned the verdict on the prosecutor's complaint due to errors in the ruling of the trial court. Thus, the Temryuk District Court sentenced Kovalenko to “5 imprisonment, without specifying months or years, that is, in fact, did not impose punishment for these crimes,” the appeal ruling says. In addition, the trial court did not indicate the type of correctional institution.
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In August 2023, the Temryuk District Court found Kovalenko guilty of distributing malicious software (Part 2 of Article 273 of the Criminal Code), unlawful circulation of means of payment (Part 1 of Article 187 of the Criminal Code) and financing an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code). The United Press Service of the Krasnodar Territory Courts reported that the accused was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 200 thousand rubles.
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According to the investigation, Kovalenko, using mailing lists with malware, stole bank card data from foreigners and used the stolen money to make purchases in foreign online stores. He was also charged with sending donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation, recognized as an extremist organization.
The Temryuk court has already begun to reconsider Kovalenko’s case.