A military tribunal in Moscow has sentenced five young Russians to substantial prison terms on terrorism charges, related to allegedly setting fire to a helicopter for Ukraine, according to officials on Tuesday.
The individuals were accused of receiving funds from Ukraine’s Defense Ministry intelligence agency (HUR) to destroy a Ka-32 search and rescue helicopter stationed at Ostafyevo International Business Airport in Moscow in April 2024.
Following the incident, HUR released footage of the burning helicopter, asserting that it had been utilized by the Russian armed forces. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office estimated the damage caused at over 690 million rubles (approximately $8.4 million).
All five defendants were found guilty of terrorism by Moscow’s Second Western Military Garrison Court. Additionally, four of them were convicted of conspiracy to commit sabotage. Before the helicopter incident, the group was also accused of receiving 15,000 rubles ($132) to ignite a railway relay cabinet in the Moscow area.
Nikita Bulgakov was sentenced to 18 years in a high-security prison, while Daniil Yamskov received 17 years. Stanislav Khamidulin and Roman Yakovets were each given prison terms of 12 years and six months. Anastasia Mochalina was sentenced to 12 years and six months in a medium-security facility on terrorism charges, as stated by the prosecutor’s office.
According to the independent news organization Mediazona, Mochalina is 20 years old, Yakovets is 21, and the other three men are all 22 years old.
Prosecutors had requested 19-year sentences for the four men and a 13-year sentence for Mochalina.
All four men admitted guilt and requested to be charged with property damage rather than terrorism. They claimed they had not opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Yamskov allegedly expressing a desire to fight in Ukraine while in pre-trial detention, as reported by Mediazona.
Mochalina, on the other hand, denied her involvement in the arson, stating that she merely permitted the group to use her bank card for purchases and was unaware of their intentions.
