A Russian man jailed in February for burning the Koran has been charged with treason by prosecutors who accuse him of passing video footage of army actions to Ukraine.
In an announcement, Russia’s prosecutor normal’s workplace stated Nikita Zhuravel, 20, was accused of sending photographs of a cargo practice carrying fighter jets and details about the actions of a automotive linked to a Russian army base to a consultant. of Ukrainian intelligence.
He stated Zhuravel had volunteered to ship the info to the Ukrainian intelligence officer.
Reuters couldn’t instantly determine a lawyer representing Zhuravel within the treason case.
Zhuravel is serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence after being discovered responsible underneath Russia’s regulation towards offending non secular believers for publicly burning a Koran in his hometown of Volgograd.
His case attracted worldwide consideration final yr when Chechen chief Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video exhibiting his son Adam punching and kicking the defendant whereas he was in jail awaiting trial.
Russian investigators had beforehand moved their case to Chechnya. The Investigative Committee, which offers with severe crimes, stated this was as a result of they acquired many messages from residents of the predominantly Muslim area asking to be designated as injured events.