MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. Russian writer Boris Akunin (birth name Grigory Chkhartishvili, recognized as foreign agent in Russia, put on the register of terrorists and extremists) has been sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison on charges of publicly justifying terrorism, aiding terrorist activities and evading obligations under Russia’s laws on foreign agents.

"The court sentences Grigory Chkhartishvili to a term of 14 years, with the first four years to be served in prison and the rest of the term - in a strict security penal colony, with a fine of 600,000 rubles ($7,690 under the current exchange rate) and a four-year ban on administering internet sites," the judge read out the verdict, as quoted by a TASS correspondent.

The verdict may be challenged through the court of appeals. The imprisonment term will begin from the moment of his detention when he crosses Russia’s border or is extradited to Russia.

Chkhartishvili was found guilty in absentia on charges of aiding terrorist activities (part 1, article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code), publicly justifying terrorism via the internet (part 2, article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code), and evading liabilities under the Russian foreign agents law (part 2, article 330.1 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to his lawyer, the writer doesn’t recognize his guilt. His court-appointed defender, Oleg Dubinin, is expected to appeal the verdict, asking for all charges to be dropped.

According to the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee, Chkhartishvili, who is a Russian and UK citizen, called for forcibly changing Russia’s constitutional order and justified Ukraine’s terrorist activities. It said that he was found guilty of violating the procedure for a foreign agent’s activities twice throughout the last year but continued violating bans imposed on foreign agents by means of releasing internet posts without relevant warnings. He was charged in absentia and put on the international wanted list.

Earlier, during a phone call with pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov (Vovan) and Alexey Stolyarov (Lexus), the writer acknowledged that Kiev would not be able to win militarily but justified Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian cities.

The writer has been living in London since 2014. In December 2023, he was put on the register of terrorists and extremists and in January 2024, he was listed as a foreign agent by the Russian justice ministry.