Russian occupying authorities sentenced athlete Mark Perzhynskyi to 15 years’ imprisonment and ordered him to pay more than 17 million roubles in “damages”

The Russian-installed occupation “Zaporizhzhia Regional Court” sentenced 25-year-old Mark Perzhynskyi, a resident of the village of Bratske, to 15 years in a penal colony. The “court” also ordered him to pay 17.6 million roubles in “damages” to Russia. The FSB accused him of organising acts of sabotage and destroying Russian military equipment, according to the news outlet “RIA-Pivden“.

Mark Perzhynskyi. Photo credit: “RIA-Pivden”

Russian occupation security forces said the “trial” of Mark Perzhynskyi had been completed. He was found “guilty” under several articles of Russia’s Criminal Code, including participation in a sabotage group, organising acts of sabotage, illegal arms trafficking, and receiving sabotage training.

According to the occupation investigators, in March 2023, he allegedly traveled to territory under Ukrainian control for training and, after returning, began carrying out tasks for a “coordinator” together with his father. Russian occupation authorities initiated a separate criminal case against his father, Volodymyr Perzhynskyi, a farmer.

Abduction of a father and son by Russian security services. Screenshot from video

In September 2023, Perzhynskyi and his father allegedly blew up two pieces of Russian military equipment – an MT-LB and a BMP-2. The occupation “prosecutor’s office” claims that the alleged attack caused more than 17.6 million roubles in damage.

This amount formed the basis of the claim, which the “court” upheld in favour of the aggressor state.

Russian security services say that during “operational activities,” they seized more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition, Kalashnikov rifles, Makarov pistols, dozens of F-1 and RGD-5 grenades, kilograms of explosives, and artillery shells. However, no evidence or independent verification of these claims has been provided. All accusations are based solely on statements by Russian security agencies.

“In addition, the accused were involved in illegal arms trafficking, by creating a network of weapons caches“, the occupying authorities claim.

The occupation “court” sentenced Mark to 15 years’ imprisonment, with the first four to be served in prison and the remainder in a high-security penal colony. In addition, he was ordered to pay a fine of 1,000,000 roubles and more than 17.6 million roubles in “damages” to the occupying state. The sentence also provides for an additional two years of restrictions on his freedom after the main term has been served.

Local residents say Mark is a professional weightlifter who has been winning competitions since his youth, while his father, Volodymyr, is a well-known farmer in the area.

Journalists say that since the arrival of occupation forces, many farmers in the Melitopol area of Zaporizhzhia Oblast who refused to cooperate have faced pressure and abductions. Accusations of “sabotage” have become a common tool used by the occupiers to target those seen as disloyal.

You may also want to read: “Broken ribs have already healed, so there’s no point”: what civilians face after captivity and torture to get money and help

Earlier, ZMINA reported that the occupation “Zaporizhzhia regional court” also sentenced 64-year-old Melitopol resident Anatolii Minak to 14 years in a high-security penal colony. He was found guilty of high treason for allegedly passing personal data of patients and hospital staff to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to case materials, the sentence was handed down to a security guard at a medical facility in Melitopol. Investigators say that in October 2023, Minak allegedly established contact with his son via Telegram and WhatsApp while the latter was in territory under Ukrainian control. In the summer of 2024, the defendant allegedly took a photo of a medical register containing personal data of patients and staff. According to the prosecution, his son passed this information to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, an occupation “court” in temporarily occupied Crimea sentenced a 65-year-old Melitopol resident to 12.5 years in prison for transferring 1,400 Russian roublesі to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, allegedly for high treason.

You may also want to read: Occupied Luhansk resident Kateryna Korovina imprisoned in Russia for an alleged donation to the Ukrainian Armed Forces

ZMINA previously reported that the illegitimate “Supreme Court of Crimea” sentenced a 37-year-old resident of the Nyzhnohirskyi District to 15 years’ imprisonment for “high treason,” allegedly for passing coordinates of Russian military facilities on the Crimean peninsula to Ukrainian intelligence.

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