Andrey Veryanov. Photo: BBC News Russian

A widely respected Russian archaeologist charged with treason and participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation was sentenced to 24 years in prison after a trial that was held behind closed doors at the end of May, the BBC News Russian reported on Wednesday.

Andrey Veryanov, who has already spent a year and a half in pretrial custody at Moscow’s infamous Lefortovo Prison, was found guilty on both counts on 23 May, though this was not publicly disclosed by the authorities at the time, due to the classified nature of treason trials in Russia.

According to prosecutors, Veryanov had been in contact with the Freedom of Russia Legon, a volunteer battalion composed of Russian citizens fighting for Ukraine that was classified as a terrorist organisation in Russia in February 2023. Veryanov was accused of “assembling and launching drones to create false targets” in an attempt to undermine Russian air defence systems.

In December 2023, Veryanov was detained and placed under arrest by a Moscow court. While independent media outlet Mediazona reported at the time that a man with his surname had been arrested, little was known about Veryanov’s case until human rights organisation First Department revealed that he was being held at the FSB-run Lefortovo Prison in early March.

Veryanov is a well-regarded geophysicist and archaeologist who had worked in Peru for over 20 years prior to returning to Russia, making a number of important discoveries regarding Cusco, the historical capital of the Inca Empire.

According to the BBC, Veryanov does not have any relatives left in Russia, and was only able to contact the outside world through an acquaintance who brought him packages sent by his family from abroad. Prior to his conviction, he had asked his son Alexander to send him language-learning textbooks as he had taken up teaching Spanish to other pre-trial detainees in Lefortovo. It is not known to which facility Veryanov will be transferred to complete his sentence.