On August 19, the City Court of St. Petersburg found Ukrainian citizen Viktor Rudenko guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 10 years in a maximum security prison. According to the Russian authorities, Rudenko collected and passed on information to the Armed Forces of Ukraine that, although not a state secret, could harm Russia's security. This was reported in her Telegram channel by the head of the press service of the St. Petersburg courts Daria Lebedeva, UNN reports .
Details
According to the head of the press service of the St. Petersburg courts, Daria Lebedeva, Rudenko, who, according to the Russian media outlet Mediaphone, works as a tractor driver in Kharkiv, collected this information in March 2022 while in Ukraine.
The details of the charges were not disclosed at the court hearing, but the judge ruled that Rudenko's cell phone be confiscated in favor of the state and his SIM card destroyed, as they were recognized as “means of crime.” Lebedieva also noted that Rudenko's actions allegedly led to a mortar attack by a Russian motorized rifle division in a village, information about which he passed on to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Rudenko did not deny that he had passed on the information, but pleaded not guilty, saying that he had acted “in favor of his homeland.” Rudenko's documents, such as his military ID and work permit, will be kept until his release.
This sentence is yet another case of conviction of Ukrainian citizens in Russia. The day before, on August 6, another Ukrainian citizen, Oleksiy Yefimenko, was sentenced to 7 years in prison on similar espionage charges.
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