Sentence to Taganrog student continues trend of punishments for treason

After the start of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, Russian law enforcers are more actively initiating criminal cases of treason; and appellate courts are upholding the verdicts, lawyers have commented on the verdict passed to Vladislav Poruchikov, a student from Taganrog. The "Freedom of Russia" Legion*, which the student tried to join, plays a minor role in the hostilities, experts have noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Vladislav Poruchikov was sentenced to nine years in penal colony. The court found him guilty of treason and attempting to recruit into a banned terrorist organization.

The sentence to Poruchikov fits into the series of punishments imposed in practice for such charges, Evgeny Smirnov, an advocate, has noted, adding that, based on the judicial practice, there is practically no chance that the verdict may be commuted.

The law enforcers' actions are difficult to evaluate from a logical viewpoint, Artyom Mugunyants, a human rights defender and a lawyer with the "Antiprizyv" (Anti-Draft) Centre. "Often, citizens in Ukraine are accused of treason even for talking to their relatives. Therefore, many cases are bewildering," he said.

Mr Mugunyants admits that law enforcers may conduct conversations on behalf of foreign organizations in order to initiate cases against Russian citizens.

Vasily Dandykin, a military expert and first-rank reserve captain, has treated the activities of Russian battalions fighting on the Ukrainian side as inefficient.

"These are the Russians who occurred outside Russia, were captured in Ukraine and made a deal," he has emphasized.

"They can't influence the course of hostilities due to their small numbers and unpreparedness," said Sergey Goncharov, the President of the Association of Veterans of the "Alpha" Counterterrorist Unit, has stated.

*On March 16, 2023, on the lawsuit lodged by the Russian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO), the Supreme Court (SC) of the Russian Federation found the "Freedom of Russia" Legion as a terrorist organization and banned its activities in Russia.