Dzhankoi district resident sentenced to four years in penal colony over comments about illegally constructed by Russian occupiers Kerch Bridge

Russia’s Southern District Military Court sentenced Mykola Semiletov, a 50-year-old resident of Dzhankoi District in temporarily occupied Crimea, to four years in a general-regime penal colony on charges of “public calls to the performance of terrorist acts”, pro-Russian media outlets in the region reported.

Mykola Semiletov. Image from Russian media

Russian occupying investigators allege that Mykola Semiletov posted comments on Telegram calling for the destruction of the Kerch Bridge and the killing of Russians and political figures.

The Russian court found him guilty under the provision concerning public calls to the performance of terrorist acts. He was charged with four counts of publicly calling for “extremist activities” under Article 280(2) of the Russian Criminal Code and ten counts of “publicly justifying terrorism online” under Article 205.2(2) of the Russian Criminal Code. The occupation court found him guilty on these charges and sentenced him to four years in a general-regime penal colony.

Semiletov was detained in September 2025. At the time, Russian security forces alleged that he had posted comments on social media calling for the “destruction of the Kerch Bridge” and the “killing of Russians and political figures”. Following his detention, the FSB released a video showing Semiletov “apologising” on camera for the comments he had posted. He lived in the settlement of Izumrudne in the Dzhankoi District.

ZMINA previously reported that Russian security forces in occupied Crimea had imposed administrative penalties on four nationals of Central Asian countries. The four had been working on the construction of the “Artek” children’s centre in the settlement of Hurzuf. Their permits were subsequently revoked, and orders were issued for their forcible deportation.

You may also want to read: Resistance gone underground: how occupation punishes dissent

In Simferopol, security forces previously detained a man on charges of publicly calling for “terrorist activities” and “extremism”.

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