A Kropotkin resident was convicted of plotting a terrorist attack on a railway.

A military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Kropotkin resident Ilya Saprunov to a lengthy prison term for plotting a terrorist attack on a railway.

"Caucasian Knot" reported that in southern Russia, following the outbreak of large-scale military operations in Ukraine, military recruitment offices and railway relay cabinets were repeatedly set on fire. A wave of such arson attacks, in particular, was recorded after the announcement of partial mobilization in Russia. On September 30, 2022, General Staff spokesman Vladimir Tsimlyansky stated that the arson attacks on military registration and enlistment offices would be classified as terrorist attacks. Investigators also sometimes apply the sabotage statute to such cases. Ilya Saprunov was charged with preparing a terrorist attack on a transport infrastructure facility (Part 1 of Article 30, Subparagraph "c" of Part 2 of Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code). The terrorism statute carries a sentence of 12 to 20 years in prison. Since the crime was not completed, the maximum possible sentence under the law is half the upper limit, or 10 years.

As established by the investigation and the court, on October 3, 2025, Saprunov entered into correspondence with an unknown individual and agreed, for a fee, to set fire to three relay cabinets on the railway in Kropotkin. On October 7, he purchased the necessary materials for the arson.

Late in the evening of October 9, around 11:30 p.m., he left his home and walked toward the relay cabinets, but was detained by FSB officers, the press service of the Southern District Military Court reported today on its Telegram channel.

The court sentenced Ilya Saprunov to eight years in a maximum-security penal colony, with the first two years to be served in prison. The court's statement did not specify whether he admitted guilt. The sentence has not entered into force and can be appealed. Caucasian Knot has not yet received any comments from the convicted man or his lawyer regarding plans to appeal the verdict. Saprunov's case was submitted for consideration at the end of April and was heard in six sessions, according to the court's website. As of 6:50 PM Moscow time today, there is no record of Saprunov in the Rosfinmonitoring register of terrorists and extremists, despite his conviction for terrorism. Caucasian Knot also reported that in April, Daniil Panov, a native of the Salsky District, was sentenced to 13 years in a maximum-security prison for setting relay cabinets on fire in the Rostov Region. At the end of April, a military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced long sentences to Vladislav Matukhnenko, Anton Esauenko, and Evgeniya Kudryashova in the railroad arson case.