MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Russian Embassy in Belarus is monitoring the situation surrounding Russian citizen Egor Dudnikov, sentenced in the republic, and stays in contact with his lawyer and his family, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

"The Russian Embassy in Belarus is monitoring the situation around the Russian citizen and stays in constant contact with Egor Dudnikov’s lawyer and relatives," she said. "Should his procedural rights be violated, the embassy will take the necessary measures within its available powers."

Zakharova noted that Dudnikov did not agree with the sentence and intends to appeal it in the Supreme Court of Belarus.

On Monday, the Minsk City Court sentenced Dudnikov to 11 years in prison. The Russian citizen was apprehended in May this year. According to the investigation, between January 19 and May 21, 2021, he "posted at least 55 voice messages of an inflammatory nature" in a Telegram channel, "aiming to ramp up tensions and conflicts in the society." Later, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Dudnikov was moderating the "Belarusian self-defense squads" chat. His criminal case was reviewed behind closed doors.