A Romanian citizen has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Russian court for allegedly spying for Ukraine, the court in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia announced Thursday. Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Russia has denied the man consular assistance.
UPDATE 4:50 PM: Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement following the Russian authorities’ decision. Officials said: “We have been following this case since December 2024. We have repeatedly requested that the Russian side facilitate access to the Romanian citizen in order to provide consular assistance, in accordance with the Vienna Convention of 1963 on consular relations.”
“To date, the Russian side has not responded to our repeated requests. We are in contact with the Romanian citizen’s family to provide them with information about his situation. At this time, in order to manage this case effectively, we cannot provide any further information.”
Initial report: “The Krasnodar Regional Court found Romanian citizen Adrian-David Kercio guilty of espionage in favor of Ukraine, discovered by employees of the regional FSB administration, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison,” Russian news agencies reported, citing the press service of the Krasnodar region courts.
“The Krasnodar Regional Court delivered the verdict in the case of Adrian-David Kercio. The court established that the defendant, disagreeing with the policy of the Russian Federation, including regarding the conduct of the special military operation, wanting to provide support to the enemy of the state, took the initiative in November 2024 to contact an employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The court found Kercio guilty of espionage. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, to be served in a strict regime colony,” the statement read.
Official statement from Russian authorities:
“The Krasnodar Regional Court delivered a verdict in the case of Adrian-David Kercho. The young man was found guilty of committing the crime provided for in Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (espionage).
The court established that the defendant, disagreeing with the policy of the Russian Federation, including the conduct of the ‘special military operation,’ and wanting to help the adversary of the state, took the initiative in November 2024 to contact an employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
During the correspondence, the defendant told the officer that he wanted to join the ‘British Legion.’ In return, he was offered a safe exit from the territory of the Russian Federation if he collected and transmitted coordinates and other information about a Russian air defense system to Ukrainian military intelligence.
Kercho agreed and, on November 12, 2024, using a drone (quadcopter), collected and transmitted through a messaging service the geographical coordinates and other information about an air defense system located in the city of Sochi.
According to the court, he was aware that the information transmitted to the representative of Ukrainian military intelligence would be used against the Russian armed forces and could cause personnel losses, military equipment, and other negative consequences for the state.
The criminal activity of the defendant was discovered and stopped by employees of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) in the Krasnodar region.
The court found him guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 15 years in prison, to be served in a strict regime penal colony. The sentence is not final.”
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Response
When information emerged regarding the detention of the Romanian citizen, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “It has all the hallmarks of a textbook FIMI RU case of ‘reheating’ a subject for propaganda purposes.”
Editor : A.R.
