Zotov Maksim Pavlovich

In January 2023, a 38-year-old local resident and human rights activist, Maksim Zotov, was detained in the closed administrative-territorial formation (ZATO) of Zarechny, Penza Oblast. He was accused of cooperating on a confidential basis with a foreign state. According to law enforcement officials, Zotov established contact with British intelligence MI-6 and in the summer of 2022 sent a letter to the embassy offering "cooperation against Russia's interests, corresponded by email with "representatives of foreign structures, and also provided personal data of two Russian military personnel to a representative of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Zotov himself considers himself a victim of a provocation - according to his claim, an FSB operative entered into correspondence with the man under the guise of an MI6 employee named Fred." On January 20, 2023, the Leninsky District Court of Penza sent Zotov to a pre-trial detention center. Later, the charge of cooperating on a confidential basis was added to the charge of treason. On October 3, 2024, the Penza Regional Court found Maxim Zotov guilty and sentenced him to 15 years in a strict regime colony and a fine of 700 thousand. rubles. On February 27, 2025, the Fourth Appellate Court of General Jurisdiction upheld the verdict.