Freedom of Russia Legion fighters. Photo: Telegram

A court has sentenced a Russian man from the city of Biysk in the Altai region of southern Siberia to 15 years in prison for treason and financing terrorism, independent news outlet Mediazona reported on Thursday.

Ordering 19-year-old Danila Yakovlev to serve the first two years of his sentence in prison, and the remaining 13 in a high-security penal colony, the court also fined him 100,000 rubles (€970) after finding him guilty of unsuccessfully attempting to transfer money to the Freedom of Russia Legion, a Ukraine-based paramilitary organisation, at least three times in 2023.

Founded in March 2022, The Freedom of Russia Legion is made up of Russian citizens opposed to the Putin regime and fights alongside the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is classified as a terrorist organisation in Russia.

While he may have attempted to transfer as little as 5,000 rubles (€48), according to Mediazona, Yakovlev was arrested by the Altai region Federal Security Service in January, with a local Telegram channel posting footage of the arrest online.

“I don’t think he communicated with anyone. He just lived his life online. It’s like he was the oppressed personality type,” a source who wished to remain anonymous told Mediazona.