The Southern District Military Court sentenced 22-year-old Nikolai Efremov* to 16 years in prison, accused of working for Ukrainian intelligence, reported "Mediazona"** citing the court's press service. Efremov will spend the first four years in prison, the rest in a high-security penal colony. Additionally, the accused was fined 600 thousand rubles.
The court found him guilty of "treason," "possession of explosives," "participation in a terrorist community," and "preparation of a terrorist act."
According to law enforcement, in the spring of 2022, a native of the Donetsk region of Ukraine began contacting an officer of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (GUR), who tasked the young man with blowing up cars belonging to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the self-proclaimed DPR.
From August 2022 to October 2023, Efremov allegedly gathered information about the vehicles. In addition, in the fall of 2023, he "received an assignment to undergo training to acquire knowledge, practical skills, and abilities in handling explosive devices." At the same time, as stated in the case materials, the young man was supposed to collect explosives from a cache, but law enforcement replaced them with a dummy.
After his arrest, Efremov was included in the register of "terrorists and extremists." Whether the young man admitted his guilt, the court's press service did not specify.
* Included in the register of "terrorists and extremists."
** Recognized as a "foreign agent" in Russia.