A resident of Kabardino-Balkaria has been sentenced to a long term for treason.

The Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria sentenced a resident of the republic to 15 years in a strict regime, finding him guilty of preparing a sabotage and treason.

The man was charged with articles on preparing for sabotage and treason (part 1 of article 281 and article 275 of the Criminal Code of Russia). Both of these articles provide for up to 20 years of imprisonment.

The court concluded that the resident of Kabardino-Balkaria committed a "transition to the enemy's side" and provided assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation, reported Interfax-South, citing the press service of the republic's courts.

The accused was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment, with the first three years to be served in prison, and the remainder of the term in a strict regime colony. In addition, the court imposed a fine of 200,000 rubles.

The message does not provide details of the case and does not clarify what specific actions of the accused constituted the "transition to the enemy's side." The court also did not disclose the personal details of the accused, his age, and occupation. It is not specified whether the man agreed with the charges.

The sentence has not yet entered into legal force. In the database of the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, the names of the accused in treason cases are concealed; the last case was submitted for consideration on September 10, but information about the sentence is not reflected in the record. The "Caucasian Knot" currently does not have comments from the accused or his lawyer regarding the sentence and plans for appeal.

The case was considered in a closed session, notes RIA Novosti.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in September, the FSB reported on the disruption of plans by Ukrainian special services to blow up a gas pipeline in Kabardino-Balkaria. A 40-year-old native of Ukraine with Russian citizenship was arrested, who came to Russia "as part of a humanitarian exchange."

In December 2025, security forces shot a resident of Nalchik, who, according to their claims, was preparing to blow up a section of the gas distribution system. "The man underwent training in one of the camps of the special operations forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, after which he returned to Russia transit through third countries. When attempting to detain the saboteur, he offered armed resistance and was eliminated by return fire," the FSB stated at that time.