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Today, the 1st Western District Military Court sentenced St Petersburg businessman and former police officer Konstantin Podoshvelev to 14 years in prison and a fine of 250,000 roubles (approximately US$2,750) in a case concerning anti-war graffiti and correspondence with the ‘Freedom of Russia’ Legion. This was reported by someone present in the courtroom.
He will serve the first three years of his sentence in prison, the remainder in a strict-regime colony. The man was detained in February 2024, when he was charged with vandalism (Part 2, Article 214 of the Criminal Code) and damaging cultural heritage sites (Part 1, Article 243 of the Criminal Code).
In June of the same year, he was charged with a new offence: attempting to participate in a terrorist organisation. Later, the charge was amended to direct participation in a terrorist organisation (Part 2, Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code).
According to investigators, in 2023 the man contacted a coordinator of the ‘Freedom of Russia’ Legion by email, allegedly with the intention of joining the unit. In January 2024, he purportedly, at the curator’s direction, painted the slogans ‘ROC FOR KILLERS’ on the walls of two churches, and ‘POLYTECH FOR KILLERS’ on the wall of the Polytechnic University.
Podoshvelev did not admit guilt. In court, he stated that during a search of his home, security forces beat and tortured him, threatening “torture, physical violence, harassment, and taking my family hostage.” He said they did this to obtain a confession.
After the man was remanded in pre-trial detention, Podoshvelev said he received threats from officers of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) and the Federal Security Service (FSB).
During closing arguments, the prosecutor requested 18 years in a strict-regime colony and a 250,000 rouble (approximately US$2,750) fine for the former police officer. The prosecution asserted that the investigation documented Podoshvelev’s calls to Ukraine, as well as electronic queries to Ukrainian authorities about border crossing. According to the prosecutor, the defendant also filled out an application to join the ‘Freedom of Russia’ Legion.
Konstantin Podoshvelev himself claimed that he had contacted Ukrainian government bodies to obtain information about his father. As for Ruslan Ts., whom the prosecution considers a Legion representative, Podoshvelev said he had communicated with him because he thought he was a volunteer from Leningrad region helping Russians with political emigration.