A military court in Moscow sentenced a Russian man to 25 years in prison on Thursday for planting a car bomb that caused serious injuries to a military intelligence officer and his spouse last year.
Yevgeny Serebryakov was charged with placing an explosive device beneath the vehicle of a GRU colonel, who independent media identified as Andrei Torgashov, in July 2024. The explosion reportedly resulted in Torgashov losing his feet, while his wife sustained injuries.
Following the attack, Serebryakov fled abroad but was apprehended in Turkey and extradited to Russia within a few days. During a court hearing last month, he confessed to placing the bomb under Torgashov’s car, stating his actions were driven by a wish to “end the war.”
Russia’s Investigative Committee, responsible for investigating serious crimes, announced on Thursday that the Moscow 2nd Western District Military Court found Serebryakov guilty of terrorism as well as the illegal production and possession of explosives.
At 30 years old, Serebryakov has been mandated to serve the initial five years of his sentence in a standard prison, followed by the next 20 years in a maximum-security prison.
Prosecutors sought a sentence of 28 years for Serebryakov, who Russian media reported was a former bank worker engaged online in March 2024 to execute the bombing.
As per the Investigative Committee’s statements, the original target of the car bomb was one of their own personnel, but the committee claimed that Serebryakov shifted his aim to the GRU colonel after failing to carry out the initial plan.
Serebryakov disagreed with this characterization, asserting that the change in target was a conscious decision.
It is claimed that he and other participants in the conspiracy were promised as much as $20,000 along with assistance in relocating to Ukraine for their involvement in the attack. The Investigative Committee did not provide information on the fate of the other unnamed individuals involved.
The military court considered Serebryakov’s apology to Torgashov and his wife during the trial held on October 29 when delivering its ruling, according to reports from the RBC news outlet. Under Russian law, crimes related to terrorism can result in sentences of up to life imprisonment.
