A Kislovodsk resident was sentenced for posting LSR* leaflets.

A military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Kislovodsk resident Ilya Mezentsev to a lengthy prison term, finding him a member of the "Freedom Legion of Russia"*.

The Southern District Military Court has been hearing Ilya Mezentsev's case since June 2025. He was charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist organization (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of ten to twenty years in prison) and promoting terrorism (Part 1 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of two to five years in prison).

According to the prosecution, in May 2023, Mezentsev, who lived in Kislovodsk, decided to join the "Freedom Legion of Russia"* and began corresponding with unknown individuals acting on behalf of the organization. Mezentsev received "tasks he needed to complete" from his interlocutors, the press service of the Southern District Military Court reported on March 24.

The court found that in early June 2023, Mezentsev photographed railroad tracks between Kislovodsk and the village of Podkumok in the Predgorny District of Stavropol Krai, after which he sent the photos to an LSR* member, indicating the geographic coordinates and time.

On June 27 and 28, he printed leaflets featuring LSR* symbols and a QR code linking to resources administered by its members, along with the caption "We are already close." On July 14, he posted these leaflets on the entrance doors of apartment buildings, the verdict states. The link in the QR code led to the LSR* Telegram channel, where investigators discovered "information material bearing signs of propaganda for the ideology and practice of terrorism."

The court sentenced Ilya Mezentsev to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony, with the first three years to be served in prison.

As of 1:50 AM Moscow time today, Ilya Mezentsev's name is no longer on the Rosfinmonitoring register of terrorists and extremists. A man with the same full namesake was enrolled in the first year of the correspondence program at the Kislovodsk branch of the Rostov State University of Economics (RINH) in September 2023, majoring in Applied Informatics, according to documents on the university's website.

"Caucasian Knot" reported that several residents of Kuban were convicted in similar cases involving intent to join the LSR*. Thus, in early October, a military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Igor Yakovenko to five years in a strict regime prison. Later in October, Krasnodar resident Marat Barashkin received a seven-year sentence, and Alexey Orlov from Tuapse was sentenced to eight years.

* The "Freedom of Russia Legion" (also referred to as the "Freedom of Russia Legion") is designated a terrorist organization and its activities are prohibited in Russia by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.