A Ukrainian-born Russian national was arrested in the airport of Yekaterinburg on suspicion of high treason for financing the Ukrainian Armed Forces, TASS reports citing the regional FSB press service.
According to the FSB, the 39-year-old man had transferred money to a bank account used to collect funds for the Ukrainian army and “committed specific acts aimed at acquiring satellite comms equipment for enemy artillery units for the purpose of transmitting coordinates of the Russian Armed Forces”.
The detainee has been charged with high treason and is currently in pre-trial jail. He faces 12 to 20 years in prison or even a life sentence.
On 4 July, the FSB said that it had detained a Russian national who was allegedly attempting to persuade Russian soldiers to defect to Ukraine at the behest of Ukrainian secret services. On 26 June, the FSB reported the arrest of a native of Ukraine’s Lviv Region charged with treason for transferring money for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On 21 June, the FSB reported a similar arrest of a resident of Russia’s Khabarovsk Region.
On 28 April, Vladimir Putin signed a law that allows courts to pass life sentences in high treason cases.
