“The FSB of Russia reported that the sentence of 24 years in prison to the scientist Andrii Veryanov, convicted of treason and terrorism, entered into force, declaring his involvement in the preparation of blowing up the plane of a high-ranking official. The convict himself and his lawyers have not yet commented on these accusations”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
Ver’yanov’s verdict on the charges of treason and participation in a terrorist organization was passed back in May. On November 26, the FSB announced that it had entered into force.
The case was considered behind closed doors, and its details were not known. It was claimed that he “established contact with representatives of the Ukrainian special services” and the Freedom of Russia Legion, recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia. The new FSB report claims that the scientist “on the instructions of the curator” collected data on the location of air defense systems in the Moscow region and launched a home-made drone to test the vulnerability of their work, and that he “received the task of blowing up the aircraft of a high-ranking person of the Russian Federation.” The special service does not specify who it is about.
Andrii Ver’yanov lived in Peru for many years. In Latin America, he explored the Inca citadel of Sacsayhuaman in the city of Cuzco. In 2019, he came to Russia to care for a close relative and was unable to leave until the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The human rights project “First Department” quoted a letter from a convict from a pretrial detention center with the following words: “Since I have been in the Russian Federation, I have not been able to accept the nightmare that the country has plunged into. He went to protests and rallies as much as he could. When he started the war, he tried to resist, he was looking for like-minded people.” Ver’yanov was arrested at the end of 2023. There have been no comments from the convict or his lawyers regarding the FSB’s statements yet.