A Volgograd resident was sentenced to a long prison term in a treason case.

A court sentenced 52-year-old Volgograd resident Pavel Palekhov to 18 years in prison, alleging espionage. His previous conviction for assaulting a security officer was taken into account in the sentence. According to traffic police, he attempted to cause an accident in order to escape after being detained.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," a criminal case for treason has been opened against a Volgograd resident who, according to investigators, transmitted information about Russian military facilities to Ukrainian intelligence services.

According to investigators, in late 2024, the man filmed and photographed ammunition depots in Volgograd. In addition, he planned to provide the SBU with information about the location of Russian Ministry of Defense facilities, the movement of Russian military convoys, and other matters.

The Volgograd Regional Court announced the verdict against Pavd Palekhov in the treason case.

According to the investigation and the court, Palekhov, "being in disagreement with the political course of the state and the special military operation conducted by the Russian Armed Forces, committed treason in the form of espionage."

Under the treason article, the court sentenced him to 16 years in prison. However, taking into account the previous verdict of the Voroshilovsky District Court, he was sentenced to 18 years in a maximum-security penal colony, followed by a restriction of freedom for a period of 1 year and 6 months, the court's press service reported on its Telegram channel.

Initially, Palekhov Palekhov was sentenced to 10 days of arrest for disobeying police and then sent to a pretrial detention center on charges of assaulting a security officer. The verdict on this charge stated that on the day of his arrest, the man was walking along the roadway when a traffic police vehicle pulled up. After this, the Volgograd resident "became frightened out of surprise" and attempted to run away, but was eventually stopped and placed in a police car. On the way to the police station, Palekhov, according to the prosecution, attempted to provoke an accident—specifically, by kicking the steering wheel, causing the car to veer into oncoming traffic, Mediazona reports*.

The Voroshilovsky District Court of Volgograd sentenced Palekhov to three years in prison for assaulting a security officer on February 3, 2025. The victims, the traffic police officers, testified against him. Palekhov did not admit guilt, stating in court that his actions were spontaneous and he was extremely agitated, according to the verdict published on the court's website.

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