Novitskiy Gennadiy Leonidovich

Genadiy Novitskiy, a 61-year-old local resident, was detained in Rostov-on-Don no later than February 2024 (the exact date is unknown). He was accused of cooperating on a confidential basis with a foreign state to the detriment of the Russian Federation. According to the security forces' version, in July 2023, Novitskiy contacted representatives of the Ukrainian security service via messenger and stated that he could provide them with assistance in activities against the Russian Federation. From November 2023 to February 2024, the man allegedly offered options for his participation in countering the Russian Federation in correspondence. He was confident that he was communicating with curators from the Ukrainian special services. However, the phone number to which the messages were sent was controlled by the Russian security agencies. Novitskiy was placed in custody for the duration of the investigation. On August 13, 2024, the Rostov Regional Court found Genadiy Novitskiy guilty and sentenced him to 3.5 years in a general regime penal colony, as well as imposed a fine of 700 thousand rubles. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force.