Kabarda–Balkaria man sentenced to 17 years in prison for treason for trying to join Ukraine’s Army
The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced 37-year-old Yury Boyko, a resident of the town of Prokhladny in Kabarda–Balkaria, to 17 years in prison on charges of attempted treason and participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation.
According to the ruling, Boyko will serve the first three years in prison, with the remaining term to be spent in a high-security penal colony. The sentence was handed down on 22 August.
According to the investigation, in January 2024, Boyko was contacted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), after which he allegedly sent a photograph of his passport, a completed questionnaire, and a video recording of an oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The following month, Boyko was detained while attempting to travel by bus to Russia’s Belgorod region, the Russian news outlet Lenta.ru reported. He was allegedly planning to cross the border and join the Ukrainian army but was detained before he could do so.
Boyko was then added to the Federal Financial Monitoring Service’s list of ‘terrorists and extremists’.
According to leaked databases cited by the independent Russian media outlet Mediazona, Boyko had worked as a tinsmith for Russian Railways until at least 2020.
The verdict against Boyko has entered into force, but it remains unclear whether the defence intends to appeal. There have been no official comments from his lawyers.
The court hearings were held behind closed doors, as has been the case with other trials concerning charges of treason.
In February 2024, the Supreme Court of Kabarda–Balkaria found Erik Konokov, a resident of the town of Terek, guilty of allegedly planning to fight on the Ukrainian side. He was sentenced to six years in a high-security penal colony on charges of attempted treason and incitement to extremism.
In June 2023, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) reported the detention of another resident of Kabarda–Balkaria who was allegedly preparing to commit ‘treason’. According to the FSB, he had established contact with a member of a paramilitary unit within the Ukrainian Armed Forces and, following instructions, purchased medicines including painkillers, tranquillisers, and psychotropic substances, after which he attempted to travel to Ukraine via Belarus, where he was detained.
After being arrested, the detainee reportedly thanked the FSB for saving his life.
‘I wanted to go to Ukraine to take part in the military operation on the Ukrainian side. Many thanks to our special services for saving my life [by preventing me from going], so that I could return to my family alive and well,’ he said.
The man urged young people not to repeat his mistakes and ‘not to fall for Ukrainian propaganda’, according to the state news agency TASS.
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