The regional department of the Investigative Committee in Tatarstan reported the transfer to court of the case of a 17-year-old resident of Kazan, who is charged with «participation in a terrorist organization» and «treason», noting that crimes related to terrorism fall into the category of serious and especially serious — responsibility for them arises from the age of 14. At the same time, the penalties for each of the articles charged to the young man — imprisonment for up to 20 years.
According to the investigation, in the summer of 2023, the teenager «established contact with representatives of a Ukrainian terrorist organization» and «at their direction, for a monetary reward, passed information regarding the facilities of enterprises located in the territory of Kazan».
As stated in the agency's press release, «the illegal activity was stopped in the spring of 2024 during planned investigative actions» conducted by employees of the Investigative Committee, FSB, and Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to the human rights project «First Department»* by the end of 2024, in Russia, after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, about 800 people became defendants in criminal cases of «treason», «espionage», and «confidential cooperation with a foreign state», 536 people received real sentences, and Russian courts did not issue a single acquittal.
* Recognized in Russia as «foreign agent».