A Stavropol resident received a prison sentence in a case involving the financing of the Anti-Corruption Foundation*.

A court in Budyonnovsk sentenced Konstantin Bernatov to three years in prison, finding him guilty of financing extremist activity.

A resident of the village of Novaya Zhizn in Stavropol Krai was sentenced to a prison term for donating to the Anti-Corruption Foundation*.

The defendant is 48-year-old Konstantin Bernatov. According to the court's verdict, he encountered information about a fundraising campaign on a popular video hosting site and transferred the money to the organization's account, knowing that its activities were banned in Russia, the publication "Bloknot Stavropol" reported today, citing its own source.

The source did not specify the exact amount of the donation mentioned in the investigation materials. Bernatov's case was heard by the Budyonnovsk City Court, and the verdict was announced on January 13. According to the court records, which conceal the defendant's name, the case was received by the court on December 1 and was heard in two sessions.

Konstantin Bernatov was sentenced to three years in a general regime penal colony; the verdict has not yet entered into force. "Caucasian Knot" has not yet received any comments from the defendant or his lawyer regarding plans to appeal the verdict.

Konstantin Bernatov's details were added to the Rosfinmonitoring registry of extremists and terrorists before the trial began. November 11, according to data from a Telegram bot tracking updates to the list. According to the registry entry, Bernatov is a native of Makhachkala.

"Caucasian Knot" wrote about other sentences handed down in southern Russian regions in cases of FBK* financing. For example, in November, a court fined a 26-year-old Syrian woman living in Nalchik 400,000 rubles. The woman claimed that she had accidentally transferred 900 rubles to the FBK* account while buying plane tickets to Turkey.

In May, a court sentenced Krasnodar resident Dmitry Dyba to 18 months of forced labor, accused of financing an extremist organization for a donation of 1,000 rubles. "Anti-Corruption Foundation"*.

* The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) is included in the register of foreign agents, recognized as extremist, and banned in Russia. The foundation's founder, Alexei Navalny, was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists and terrorists, and was also sentenced to 19 years in prison on extremism charges. He died in prison in February 2024. Navalny is recognized as a "prisoner of conscience." In the "Caucasian Knot" article "Navalny: The Caucasian Dimension" presents the opposition leader's views on issues related to the Caucasus.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.