On November 25, the Volgograd Oblast Court sentenced local student Nikita Zhuravel to 13.5 years in a penal colony on treason charges (Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code), according to the regional courts’ press service.
The prosecution alleged that between March and May 2023, Nikita Zhuravel, who openly opposes the war, carried out certain tasks at the request of Ukrainian intelligence services. The student pleaded guilty in court.
The Prosecutor General’s Office announced a new criminal case against Zhuravel on October 3. It claimed that he had sent footage of military equipment transport and information about the movements of a military vehicle to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU).
In February, Zhuravel was sentenced to 3.5 years in a penal colony for offending the religious feelings of believers. The prosecution argued that he had burned a Quran under orders from the SBU. Before his trial, Zhuravel was held in a pre-trial detention center in Chechnya, where he was beaten by Adam Kadyrov, the 15-year-old son of the republic's head. Subsequently, the teenager was awarded the title of Hero of Chechnya and received numerous honors.
