Russian occupiers sentence Crimean resident to 12 years in prison for allegedly working for Ukrainian intelligence

The Russian occupiers have sentenced Stanislav Stetsenko, a resident of Simferopol in Russian-occupied Crimea to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of "high treason" against Russia.

Source: Kremlin-aligned news outlet Kryminform, citing the Crimean department of Russia’s FSB

Details: As the occupiers claim, Stetsenko "was obtaining information on flights of Russian military aircraft in the Crimean Peninsula on behalf of the Ukrainian special services using a special antenna and receiving equipment" for a considerable time, and was sending the information "to representatives of the Ukrainian intelligence service via a secure messenger".

The FSB also claims that "Stetsenko received a total of US$1,300 for performing these tasks".

Stanislav Stetsenko was detained in annexed Crimea before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in June 2021.

He was accused of "high treason" (Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code).

The journalists wrote that Stetsenko is an amateur radio operator and an aircraft spotter (a hobby that involves observing aircraft, recording and photographing them) and was a user of the amateur radio website radioscanner.ru. According to journalists, the equipment seized from Stetsenko during the search was openly sold in Crimea.

Also, according to their information, Stetsenko worked in a technical position in the Administration Department of the self-proclaimed 'State Council of Crimea'.

The self-proclaimed "Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea" found Stetsenko guilty on 22 December 2022 and sentenced him to 12 years of imprisonment with a 1-year period of restriction of liberty, with the main sentence to be served in a maximum security penal colony.

The Third Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction in Sochi (Russia) upheld the "Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea" verdict on 21 March 2023.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!