Vladislav Sevostyanikhin

According to the investigation, "being an opponent of Russia's domestic and foreign policy, including the conduct of a special military operation", in July 2023 he decided to join the Ukrainian paramilitary association "Legion 'Freedom of Russia'" to fight as part of it against Russian troops. In early September, he wrote about it to the chatbot of the Legion's recruiting centre in the messenger Telegram and entered into correspondence with a representative of this formation. On 7 September 2023, he filled out and sent to the Legion his questionnaire, photo and video with images of his passport. He then studied the rules of survival in extreme situations and purchased the necessary equipment for departure to the Legion: compass, tactical backpack, camouflage jacket, knives, torch, chargers, self-heating insoles, camping supplies, food and other equipment. On the evening of 15 January 2024, he travelled from Moscow to the border Klimovsky district of Bryansk region by a hitchhiker found earlier: judging by the text of the verdict, he did not have a foreign passport and decided to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border illegally. On 16 January he got into another taxi and went to the border settlement of Lyubechane in Klimovsky district, from where he was going to get to Ukraine by bypassing the checkpoints. However, around ten o'clock in the morning of the same day, the car was stopped by officers of the FSB border department and detained Sevostyanikhin.