Kotovich Valeriy Nikolaevich

In mid-August 2022, in Rostov-on-Don, Valery Kotovich, the former head of the procurement department of the Southern Material and Technical Support Center of the Rosgvardiya (FSU "Southern MTSC of Rosgvardiya"), was detained. He was accused of spreading knowingly false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation using his official position out of political hatred and sent to a pre-trial detention center. According to the investigation, Kotovich was spreading "disinformation" about the Russian army. Several of Colonel's colleagues reported to the leadership that Kotovich allegedly called the Russian army an occupier and aggressor. Both prosecution witnesses emphasized that they only knew about the man's position from subordinates' accounts, and the former security officer himself had not reported anything of the sort to them. On April 17, 2023, the Rostov-on-Don Garrison Military Court found Valeriy Kotovich guilty and sentenced him to six years in a general regime colony. In addition to imprisonment, he was prohibited from holding certain positions for three years after his release, and was also stripped of his colonel's rank. On July 14, 2023, the Southern Military District Court left the verdict in force.