A Russian court sentenced 13 young men to up to 23 years in prison each on Wednesday for acts of railway sabotage in Moscow and Siberia aimed at thwarting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The court’s press service said the men were part of an “organized criminal group” that aimed to “influence the Russian authorities to cease its special military operation in Ukraine” — officials’ term for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The court said investigators were unable to identify the group’s ringleader.
The anti-war activist group Zone of Solidarity had said the men were between 17 and 20 years old at the time of their arrest. They were initially charged with property damage, but the charges were later upgraded to aggravated sabotage.
The 13 men were accused of committing 13 acts of sabotage at strategic railway and energy sites in the Russian capital and the Krasnoyarsk region between December 2022 and January 2023.
Additionally, the military court in the Far East Zabaikalsky region claimed the men had “made preparations” for arson attacks on multipurpose fighter jets stationed in the Primorye region.
The Second Eastern Military Garrison Court in Chita found 12 members of the group and one accomplice guilty. The accomplice received a four-year prison sentence, while the 12 members were sentenced to terms ranging from 19 to 23 years.
The Kremlin has ruthlessly cracked down on dissent since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
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