Get you up to speed: Russia jails man for 14 years for taking pictures of graves | News World
Nikolai Shcherbakov, 48, was sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security prison by a Russian court for high treason related to taking pictures of graves of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine. Authorities in Yaroslavl, around 173 miles northeast of Moscow, reported that he had sent the images to Ukrainian intelligence services over nearly two years.
The investigation into Nikolai Shcherbakov’s activities began in late 2022, with the case submitted for trial in July 2023. Following his conviction, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has heightened scrutiny of cemeteries due to similar cases involving individuals arrested for photographing military graves.
Nikolai Shcherbakov has been sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security prison for high treason after reportedly taking and sending photographs of military graves to Ukrainian intelligence. In response to rising concerns over information leaks regarding military personnel, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has increased surveillance of cemeteries across the region.
What remains unclear — It is unclear where Nikolai Shcherbakov will be jailed following his conviction for high treason.
Russian man sentenced to 14 years for photographing military graves
The man was convicted of high treason (Picture: Andrey Borodulin / AFP via Getty Images)
A man has been jailed for 14 years in a maximum-security prison for taking pictures of gravestones.
Nikolai Shcherbakov, 48, was found guilty of high treason by a Russian court last month, the country’s independent news outlet Mediazona reported.
According to Russian law enforcement, Shcherbakov, from Yaroslavl – around 173 miles northeast of Moscow – had been ‘systematically’ visiting a cemetery and taking pictures of the graves of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine for nearly two years.
He would then send the images on to Ukrainian intelligence services, officials claimed.
‘The Yaroslavl resident sent the collected information via a messenger service to representatives of the Ukrainian intelligence services.’
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The man is believed to have sent the pictures to Ukrainian intelligence officials (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
Footage released by a Russian regional court suggests an investigation into Shcherbakov’s offences began late last year before the case was officially sent to trial in July of this year.
It is unclear where Shcherbakov will be jailed.
It comes after a woman was detained on June 17, also for taking pictures of Russian military graves, in Sverdlovsk Oblast, reportedly prompting the Federal Security Service (FSB) to increase surveillance of cemeteries in the region, reports news outlet Caliber.
A week later, on June 24, a woman was jailed for the same reason in Yekaterinburg.
In late June, the FSB opened a high treason case against three people who were arrested in Tomsk Oblast, Western Siberia, for allegedly filming military graves.
They were also accused of passing on information, including the identities of people who had died on the frontline, to Ukraine.
Yaroslavl Regional Court (Picture: Google Maps)
The war in Ukraine is showing no signs of letting up, with European leaders warning Russian President Vladimir Putin could launch attacks further afield.
On September 1, Germany blamed Russia for an incident at Leipzig-Halle Airport the month before.
Police called in a bomb squad after a drone rigged with explosives and an ‘unknown substance’ was found next to a Ukrainian cargo plane at the hub in Saxony.
But the Kremlin hit back after the attack was attributed to Russia, warning that the declaration had escalated tensions between the two countries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier this month: ‘Leipzig, the airport. They found some drone there. They said it was a Russian drone, and no one bothered to investigate.
‘This is, in essence, the beginning of a real war.’
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