Gennady Kalashnikov in court. Photo: Mediazona
An appeals court near Moscow has upheld a 15-year prison sentence against a man found guilty of expressing views deemed sympathetic to Ukraine, including in private correspondence with his son, state-affiliated news agency Interfax reported on Monday.
Gennady Kalashnikov was removed from a train last summer and detained while returning from vacation with his family. The case against Kalashnikov stemmed partially from posts on Telegram, in which, according to the investigation, he expressed approval for the activities of Ukrainian armed groups.
The investigation also said that in March 2024, Kalashnikov had tried to persuade his son, who was fighting in Ukraine, to surrender and “subsequently join a Ukrainian terrorist organisation”, according to Interfax.
The case files revealed that Kalashnikov had also called for violent retribution against Russian servicemen, in addition to posting pro-Ukrainian material, Interfax continued.
Kalashnikov, 45, who lived in the city of Vorkuta in the Russian Arctic, was sentenced to 15 years for incitement to terrorism and extremism in May. He will spend the first three years in prison and the remainder in a high-security penal colony. He was also fined 400,000 rubles (€4,200).
With the failure of the appeal, the original verdict against Kalashnikov has now come into force.
