MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has apprehended a resident of Abakan for attempted state treason. He sought to go to Ukraine and join the Ukrainian armed forces, the FSB’s Center for Public Relations told TASS.
"The Federal Security Service detained a resident of Abakan in Khakassia, a republic in South Siberia, suspected of attempted treason," the Center for Public Relations reported.
"During the course of operational and investigative work it was established that the detainee proactively decided to switch to the enemy’s side and join the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces to participate with them in combat operations," the press service noted. According to it, for this purpose he vandalized administrative buildings belonging to the regional authorities, that is why he was detained by the police of the Republic of Khakassia and prosecuted under Part 2 Article 214 of the Russian Criminal Code (Vandalism). When attempting to travel through one of the CIS countries to Ukraine to join the Ukrainian military, he was detained at Krasnoyarsk airport.
As the Center for Public Relations noted, the investigators initiated criminal proceedings on suspicion of committing a crime under part 3 of Article 30, Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Attempt to commit high treason). In July of this year Article 275 (High treason) was enlarged with a new corpus delicti: Defecting to the side of the enemy. The detainee faces from 12 to 20 years in prison.