A Sochi native was convicted in absentia for supporting sabotage activities.

A court in Krasnodar sentenced the leader of the Kuban independence movement in absentia to 11 years in prison for inciting a regional resident to commit sabotage on a railway.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in February, the Krasnodar Regional Court received the case of 44-year-old Sochi native Yevgeny Bursanidi. According to investigators, while outside of Russia, he persuaded a regional resident to commit sabotage on a railway. Bursanidi, who lives in Greece, is known as a leader of the Kuban independence movement; he was placed on the wanted list back in 2024.

The Krasnodar Regional Court today sentenced Yevgeny Bursanidi, finding him guilty of aiding sabotage by recruiting and inciting damage to transport infrastructure.

According to the prosecution, Bursanidi created a Telegram channel in May 2019 to "incite an unlimited number of individuals to commit explosions, arson, or other acts" of a sabotage nature. However, the only incident described in the indictment dates back to June 2023.

According to security officials, Bursanidi, through his channel, proposed to a Krasnodar resident that he blow up railway tracks while a train carrying military equipment was passing over them, as well as blow up a factory producing military parts. The Krasnodar resident, who was promised a monetary reward for completing these tasks, reported the offer to law enforcement agencies, according to a statement from the United Press Service of the Kuban Courts.

The court sentenced Bursanidi to 11 years in prison, with the first two years to be served in a penal colony and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony. "The sentence is calculated from the date of the convicted person's extradition to the Russian Federation, or from the date of their detention in the Russian Federation," the publication notes.

The report states that Bursanidi holds dual citizenship in Greece and Russia. He is also described as "an adherent of nationalist views."

The defendant himself, on the eve of the trial in the Krasnodar Regional Court, wrote on his Telegram channel that Russian security forces had already "tried to snatch" him from Greece, but failed. "Of course, I don't give a damn about their trial in absentia. Just as Interpol doesn't care," he stated.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in February, a court sentenced Sochi resident Frederic Du Bois to 11 years in prison, finding him guilty of participating in a terrorist organization. According to the case materials, Du Bois (aka Valery Valerievich Kuzemka) joined the movement for the independence of Kuban, which was recognized as terrorist in November 2024.