A resident of Sochi has been sentenced to five years in a penal colony for allegedly calling on people to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and for posts about the war.

The Southern District Military Court has sentenced 30-year-old Sochi resident Alexey Kosmyntsev to five years in a general regime penal colony. He was accused of justifying terrorism (Part 2, Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code), inciting activities aimed against state security (Part 2, Article 280.4), and illegal purchase of drugs (Part 2, Article 228). This was reported by the Krasnodar Krai Prosecutor’s Office.

He has also been banned from administering websites for three years.

According to the prosecution, on 9 April 2023 Kosmyntsev published a post on a “banned social network” calling on people to “provide financial assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by sending money to a volunteer organisation.” The prosecution does not name the organisation.

Additionally, on 29 September 2023, he published three posts in which, according to the prosecution, he justified Ukrainian army attacks on civilian targets and the bombing of the Crimean Bridge in October 2022.

Kosmyntsev was also charged under drug legislation because in November 2024 he collected a hidden stash near a cemetery that contained about 5 grams of synthetic drugs.

In January 2025, the Sochi resident was added to Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “terrorists and extremists.”