Detention: On the night of November 14-15, 2016, he was detained by FSB officers near the Kalanchak checkpoint while leaving occupied Crimea for mainland Ukraine. He was traveling to Kyiv for his daughter's birthday. Russian media claimed Stogniy was a 'colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine' and was detained during an 'agent meeting' in Sevastopol. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine refuted this, stating he had long completed military service and was not an employee of Ukrainian intelligence services.

Initially, the FSB alleged Stogniy's involvement in preparing sabotage on infrastructure in occupied Crimea as part of the so-called 'Crimean saboteurs case.' Russian TV channels broadcast a video of his 'confession' to espionage for Ukraine. However, during the trial, charges of sabotage and espionage were not confirmed. Instead, he was charged with illegal acquisition, storage, and transportation of weapons and ammunition, as well as illegal manufacturing and repair of firearms.

Sentence: On July 26, 2017, the Russia-controlled Kyiv District Court of Simferopol found Oleksiy Stogniy guilty under Part 1 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, or carrying of weapons, their main parts, and ammunition') and Part 1 of Article 223 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('illegal manufacturing, alteration, or repair of firearms and ammunition'). He was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment. Charges of preparing sabotage and espionage were not included in the sentence.

Oleksiy Stogniy served his sentence in a colony in Kerch.

At the end of January 2020, he was released after serving his full term, but his family did not publicly announce this immediately to avoid risks while leaving occupied Crimea.

On February 19, 2020, Stogniy arrived in Kyiv. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Lyudmyla Denisova, reported that during his imprisonment, he was held in intolerable conditions, which significantly worsened his health, and he required medical examination and treatment upon return.

Oleksiy Stogniy is a Ukrainian citizen, a former serviceman of the Ukrainian Navy, and a graduate of the Sevastopol Naval Institute named after P. S. Nakhimov, specializing in 'radio-technical armament.' After leaving military service, he lived in Crimea and engaged in business. Stogniy was one of the figures in the so-called 'Crimean saboteurs case' — a series of criminal proceedings initiated by the FSB in 2016 against Ukrainian citizens.

Ukrainian human rights organizations and state bodies considered this case politically motivated. Oleksiy Stogniy was on the list of Ukrainian citizens proposed by Ukraine for inclusion in exchanges of detainees between Ukraine and Russia.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Suspilne Crimea, TSN.

Photo: TSN.

Last updated: 09.07.2026.