Three Ukrainians have been sentenced for plotting a terrorist attack in a Rostov pretrial detention center.

The Rostov-on-Don Military Court sentenced Dmitry Papenko, Vladimir Makarenko, and Grigory Sinchenko to lengthy prison terms, finding them guilty of plotting a terrorist attack in a Rostov-on-Don pretrial detention center.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, the defendants in the case of plotting a terrorist attack in a Rostov-on-Don pretrial detention center pleaded guilty during the first hearing in the Southern District Military Court in November 2025. According to the prosecution, in July 2024, Sevastopol native Dmitry Papenko, while in a pretrial detention facility, suggested to Ukrainian citizens Volodymyr Makarenko and Grigory Sinchenko that they participate in a terrorist attack on National Unity Day in 2024.

Today, the Southern District Military Court announced the verdict against Dmitry Papenko, Vladimir Makarenko, and Grigory Sinchenko, finding all three guilty of plotting a terrorist attack in a pretrial detention facility.

According to the verdict, the three pretrial detention facility inmates agreed to set fire to the facility building and commit "other acts that would intimidate the population." Papenko set the date of the attack, November 4, 2024. He and Makarenko then collected and hid metal objects and materials for making homemade incendiary devices in their belongings.

"Sinchenko, in accordance with his assigned role in the criminal group, prepared a plan showing the locations of administrative cells for pretrial detainees and other buildings," the press service of the Southern District Military Court reported on its official Telegram channel.

The prosecution also alleges that Sinchenko established an "inter-cell connection" with another Ukrainian citizen in July 2024 and invited him to participate in a terrorist attack with him, Papenko, and Makarenko. The prisoners' plan was never completed, as security forces stopped their activities on October 11, 2024.

The court sentenced Dmitry Papenko to 25 years in a maximum security penal colony, with the first seven years to be served in prison. Vladimir Makarenko was sentenced to 22 years in prison, with the first six years to be served in prison and the remainder to be served in a maximum security penal colony. Sinchenko was sentenced to 29 years in a maximum security penal colony, with the first seven years to be served in prison, and a fine of 200,000 rubles.

Caucasian Knot has not yet received comments from the defendants or their lawyers regarding their plans to appeal the verdict.

Dmitry Papenko, who turns 50 in October, was arrested in December 2022 on charges of treason. Crimean human rights activists found him in a Simferopol pretrial detention center in March 2023. Papenko's name was added to Rosfinmonitoring's list of terrorists and extremists a year later, in March 2024, according to a Telegram bot tracking updates to the list.

35-year-old Grigory Sinchenko and 28-year-old Vladimir Makarenko were added to the list on November 12, 2024. Sinchenko is a native of the Donetsk region, and Makarenko was born in the Cherkasy region. Both Ukrainians are prisoners of war, the Telegram channel "Ink Tape" noted at the time.

The testimony of all three convicts was provided by a secret witness, "Santa," who identified himself as a cellmate of Papenko and Makarenko. According to the witness, he overheard the prisoners discussing their plan. According to "Santa," they planned to "put forward demands for an end to the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine" and the release of Ukrainian prisoners, Mediazona* reported in April.

* are included in the Russian register of foreign agents.

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