The former deputy governor of the Siberian region of Khakassia, who was released from prison and sent to fight in the Ukraine war, has been injured in fighting, local media outlet 19rusinfo reported on Monday.
Sergey Novikov, who was sentenced to nine years behind bars on bribery charges in May 2021, was sent to fight in Ukraine alongside several dozen of his fellow inmates after completing basic training in late August, 19rusinfo said.
On 11 October, he sustained shrapnel wounds near the city of Makiivka in the Donetsk region, and is currently receiving treatment in a Luhansk region hospital, the media outlet reported.
Novikov was caught by the Federal Security Service (FSB) receiving a 2-million-ruble (€19,500) bribe from a contractor in April 2020. Investigators later said that Novikov had been promised payments totalling 12 million rubles (€117,000) for signing a contract for the construction of a psychiatric care facility that was worth 480 million rubles (€4.7 million).
Photo: Telegam channel Free Khakassia
