A resident of Voronezh Region, a major area in southwestern Russia, was sentenced to eight years in prison for comments about the authorities.

The 2nd Western District Military Court has sentenced 48-year-old Alexey Kolesnikov, a resident of Ostrogozhsk, to eight years in a strict-regime penal colony on charges of justifying terrorism (Article 205.2, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code) and inciting extremism online (Article 280, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code). This was reported by the Voronezh Region prosecutor’s office, where the case was investigated.

The court also banned Kolesnikov from administrating websites for four years after his release.

The prosecution was triggered by comments posted on social media. The charge of justifying terrorism relates to a comment he left in May 2023. According to the prosecution, he did so “harbouring hostility toward the existing constitutional order and the system of public authorities in the Russian Federation, motivated by political and ideological hatred.”

He was charged with inciting extremism for a comment posted in December 2023, which investigators alleged contained calls for “violent actions against representatives of the current political authorities.”

The prosecutor’s office did not provide the exact content of the comments.

In April 2024, Kolesnikov was included in Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “terrorists and extremists.” In January 2025, his name in the list was marked with a star—this is used to indicate those involved in cases under terrorism-related articles.