Russian Courts Issue Lengthy Sentences for Anti‑Military Vandalism and Fake‑Wound Fraud

Overview

• The Central District Court in Komsomolsk-on-Amur sentenced a resident to 8 years and 6 months for damaging vehicles of servicemen and for actions deemed to incite hatred toward military personnel.
• Judges found he slashed tires, broke windows, and left threatening notes on cars between February 2022 and July 2023, including vehicles displaying the 'Z' symbol.
• The court applied Article 282 and Article 167 of the Criminal Code and ordered compensation of 111,160 rubles for material losses and 30,000 rubles for moral damages; the defendant did not admit guilt.
• The Nalchik Garrison Military Court gave former serviceman Nikolai Khozumov 10 years in a general-regime colony for obtaining about 13 million rubles by repeatedly self-inflicting mine-explosion injuries in the DPR to fabricate combat wounds.
• He admitted guilt, was taken into custody in the courtroom, must repay the full amount, and—per the court press service—his verdict has not yet entered into legal force; the case arrived in Nalchik after a jurisdictional transfer from the Donetsk garrison court.