Arrest: On June 26, 2023, FSB officers detained Kerch resident Artur Agasaryan. According to the Russian investigation, he allegedly collaborated with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, collected information on the movement of Russian military equipment, and prepared to blow up an FSB officer's car. He was charged with treason, preparing a terrorist act, and illegal acquisition and manufacture of explosives. Artur denied the charges.

Sentence: On September 18, 2024, he was convicted of crimes under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Treason"), Part 1 of Article 205 ("Preparation for a Terrorist Act"), Part 1 of Article 30, Part 1 of Article 223.1 ("Illegal Manufacture of Explosives"), and Part 3 of Article 222.1 ("Illegal Acquisition, Transfer, Sale, Storage, Transportation, or Carrying of Explosives"). He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 500,000 rubles.

Artur Grigorovich Agasaryan was born on April 26, 1979. He lived in Kerch.

According to Russian investigation materials, in early 2023, Artur allegedly established contact with a representative of Ukrainian military intelligence. The investigation claimed he transmitted information about the movement of freight trains, military equipment, and other objects of interest to the Ukrainian side. Later, according to the same version, he was tasked with monitoring an FSB officer in Kerch, studying his routes, and preparing an explosive device to blow up his car.

The investigation also stated that to complete this task, Artur was to receive some components from a cache and purchase the rest independently. According to the charges, on June 26, 2023, he and Oleksiy Vasyutin bought the missing components, after which both were detained by FSB officers. These events led to the opening of a criminal case under several particularly serious articles of the Russian criminal code.

Human rights defenders, after analyzing the case materials, noted several signs of political motivation in the prosecution. The organization points out that such cases are increasingly used by Russia after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine to demonstrate a supposed fight against "Ukrainian saboteurs" and to create a desired informational background. Therefore, Artur Agasaryan was included in the list of individuals persecuted for political reasons.

Artur Agasaryan was held in custody throughout the pre-trial investigation. The trial took place at the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don. The Russian side claimed that the accused acted on the orders of Ukrainian military intelligence, but independent verification of these claims was impossible. The defense repeatedly pointed out the circumstances of the investigation and insisted that the investigation's conclusions did not confirm his guilt with proper and admissible evidence.

On September 18, 2024, the court found Artur Agasaryan guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison: the first three years in prison, the remainder in a strict regime colony. Additionally, the court ordered him to pay a fine of 500,000 Russian rubles. This is one of the harshest sentences handed down in cases related to accusations of treason and preparation of a terrorist act after the start of the full-scale war.

As of July 2026, Artur Agasaryan continues to serve his sentence. Human rights defenders continue to demand a review of his case, emphasizing the need to uphold the right to a fair trial and impartial consideration of criminal proceedings related to events in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Support for Political Prisoners "Memorial", Radio Liberty, Mediazona.

Update date: 04.07.2026.