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Moscow military court gives Telegram channel administrator 14-year sentence for treason

It is reported that the defendant pleaded guilty and concluded a pre-trial agreement on cooperation with the investigation

MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. The Second Western District Military Court has sentenced Lipetsk Region resident Felix Eliseev, the administrator of two radical left-wing Telegram channels, to 14 years in a correctional institution, after he was convicted of treason and two instances of publicly justifying terrorism, the court told TASS.

Eliseev pleaded guilty and entered into a pre-trial cooperation agreement.

"The court ruled to impose a sentence of 14 years in prison on Eliseev, a supporter of one of the left-wing radical movements. The defendant pleaded guilty and concluded a pre-trial agreement on cooperation with the investigation," said court spokeswoman Irina Zhirnova. The case was heard behind closed doors without public access.

TASS’ source added that the sentence had not yet entered into legal force and the court’s verdict had not yet been appealed.

According to the court, Eliseev transferred money to his handler through a cryptocurrency account. The funds received were used to purchase uniforms and weapons for the Ukrainian armed forces, nationalist battalions and extremist organizations, the Lipetsk Region branch of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported earlier. Initially, investigators opened a case against him under suspicion of publicly justifying terrorism (Part 2, Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code), accusing the man of having posted two publications with anti-war content. Later, FSB investigators toughened the charges against him, adding a harsher charge under Criminal Code Article 275 ("Treason"). Eliseev was detained late last year and sent to a pre-trial detention center.

Earlier this year, Eliseev was included in the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring’s list of terrorists and extremists.