Erzhov Sergey Vitalevich

In the resort village of Koreiz near Yalta in annexed Crimea, a gas pipeline explosion occurred at night on June 23, 2023, causing a fire. As a result of the incident, more than 500 subscribers were left without gas for half a day. On July 5, 2023, in Yalta, a 42-year-old local resident, a native of the Ukrainian city of Pavlograd, Sergey Erzhov, was detained on charges of an explosion. Initially, a criminal case was opened against Erzhov for intentional destruction or damage to property by a dangerous method, but subsequently the charge was reclassified as a terrorist act causing significant damage, and charges of illegal circulation of explosives, participation in the activities of a terrorist community, and undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities were also added. According to the FSB, Erzhov, from February 24 to November 8, 2022, being on the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, made contact with an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine, after which, under his guidance, he made an IED, the components of which he received through a cache. SVU placed it on the surface of the selected gas pipeline and remotely detonated it. Due to the explosion, a section of the gas pipeline caught fire, causing significant property damage and creating a danger to people's lives. The court appointed him a measure of restraint in the form of detention. On July 19, 2024, the Southern Military Court found Sergey Erzhov guilty and sentenced him to 18 years in a strict regime penal colony, with the first 4 years to be served in prison, and a fine of 500 thousand rubles. rubles. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force.