In Kuban, a Vodokanal employee received a three-year suspended sentence for donating 100 roubles (about US$1) to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).

The Kropotkin City Court in Krasnodar Krai handed a suspended three-year prison sentence to Vladimir Kim, a 41-year-old senior economist at the municipal “Vodokanal” utility, for donating a hundred roubles (around US$1) to the Anti-Corruption Foundation. This is according to the court decision published online, highlighted by OVD-Info.

The verdict was delivered on 11 August.

Kim was found guilty of financing extremist activity (Part 1, Article 282.3 of the Russian Criminal Code).

The verdict states that in the night leading up to 6 August 2021, he transferred 100 roubles to the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Two days earlier, on 4 August, the decision recognising the Foundation as an extremist organisation had come into force.

In court, Kim admitted guilt and refused to testify. During the investigation, he said he became interested in the activities of Alexei Navalny and the Anti-Corruption Foundation in 2016, watching their investigations into corruption, including those about Medvedev and the “Putin palace.” According to Kim, he donated to the Foundation because he disagreed with the decision to ban the organisation.

“Some time later—approximately a year after he transferred the money—he realised he had acted wrongly and stopped following the organisation. He no longer supports the activities of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, and considers his action unjustified and foolish,” his testimony was paraphrased in court.

It is not known exactly when the case against Kim was opened. According to the verdict, his home was searched on 9 June. On 25 June, Kim was added to Russia’s Rosfinmonitoring “terrorists and extremists” list.