The court upheld the sentence of an Adygea resident for participating in an illegal armed group.

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The Cassation Court in Adygea reviewed the appeal of Alexey Kritskov, convicted of participating in an illegal armed group, and denied the request to overturn his conviction.

According to the court, Alexey Kritskov was a member of the "Great Cathedral of the South of Russia" community. This community was founded in 2020 by a 61-year-old resident of Maikop. The organization's members were accused of attempting to overthrow the current constitutional order, searching for weapons and ammunition, and studying methods of producing explosives for the purpose of committing politically motivated crimes.

The organizer and four members of the group were sentenced by the Maykop City Court to terms ranging from 8 years and 6 months to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony, the joint press service of the courts of the Republic of Adygea reported on March 20.

According to investigators, Kritskov joined the group in November 2020 and was arrested in May 2021. He was the deputy head of the community. He was found guilty of participating in an illegal armed group and illegal possession of ammunition and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. Kritskov filed an appeal, and then a cassation appeal, claiming his guilt had not been proven and his rights had been violated.

The panel of judges of the cassation court upheld the charges, but excluded a conviction for the illegal acquisition of ammunition and reduced the sentence to eight years and one month.