Politician Leonid Volkov has been sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison

The 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow has sentenced politician Leonid Volkov in absentia to 18 years in prison. This was reported by “Mediazona.”

This is exactly the sentence the prosecution had requested. Volkov was also fined two million rubles (about US$22,000).

The case comprised 45 episodes. Volkov was charged with four counts of fraud committed in a group or on a particularly large scale (part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code), two counts of vandalism committed in a group or on political hatred grounds (part 2 of article 214), 16 counts of justifying terrorism online (part 2 of article 205.2), and 18 counts of spreading military “fake news” in a group and on political hatred grounds (points “b” and “d” part 2 of article 207.3).

He was also accused of one episode each of rehabilitating Nazism in a group and online (points “b” and “v” part 2 of article 354.1), involving a minor in anti-social activity (points “a,” “b,” and “v” part 2 of article 151.2), creating a non-profit organisation infringing on individual rights (part 2 of article 239), financing an extremist organisation (part 2 of article 282.3), and organising an extremist association using official position (part 3 of article 282.1).

In summer 2022, the first criminal case was opened against Volkov for justifying terrorism. In August 2022, it became known that criminal cases for spreading “fake news” about the Russian army (article 207.3) and justifying terrorism (article 205.2) had been opened against eight presenters of the YouTube show “Popular Politics,” including Volkov.

In October 2024, the politician reported another criminal case against him. It included 16 episodes: 13 under the article for justifying terrorism online and three for knowingly spreading false information about actions of Russian military by a group on grounds of political, ideological or other animosity. When the other episodes were added is not known.