Crimean activist sentenced to 18 years over alleged Aksyonov…

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 77-year-old Crimean civil activist Vladimir Ananyev.

Consensus

Vladimir Ananiev, a 77-year-old Crimean citizen, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Southern Military District Court in Rostov-na-Donu.
The sentence includes four years in prison before transfer to a colony.
Ananiev was accused of preparing an attempted assassination of Sergey Aksenov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea.
The prosecution alleged that Ananiev, along with Vladimir Bodnarev and Oksana Shevchenko, acted on behalf of Ukrainian special services.
Ananiev rented a non-residential building in Simferopol with a view of the street where Aksenov's car traveled.
The prosecution claimed that Ananiev installed a surveillance camera in the rented space to monitor Aksenov's movements.
Ananiev did not admit guilt and called any prison sentence a 'death sentence'.
Ananiev used a cane during court sessions and complained of pressure and health issues.
Ananiev requested medical help during court sessions and asked for breaks.
Ananiev prayed for his 'persecutors' in his final statement, naming security officers, judges, and appointed lawyers.
The trial began in February 2025.
Ananiev's health deteriorated in pre-trial detention at the Rostov-5 pre-trial detention center, where he reportedly received no medical care.

The prosecution requested a 22-year sentence. — novaya_eu
The prosecution requested a 22-year prison term under charges of illegal possession of explosives and preparation for terrorism. — mediazona
The defense argued that the surveillance camera was not seized or examined, and that workers who maintained it were not questioned. — novaya_eu
Ananiev claimed the camera was a doorphone. — mediazona
Ananiev lived in Kyiv after the annexation of Crimea and returned to Kerch in November 2023 to visit his parents' graves. — mediazona
The FSB reported the prevention of an 'SBU terrorist act against a Crimean leader' on February 5, 2024. — mediazona
Bodnarev and Shevchenko were sentenced to 13 and 10 years respectively in 2025, having entered into plea bargains and having their cases heard in a special procedure without evidence review. — mediazona
The defense attorney Refat Yunus stated that the prosecution relied on the verdicts against Bodnarev and Shevchenko as evidence in Ananiev's case. — mediazona
Ananiev was described as a land rights activist who worked with the 'Union of Landowners' since the early 2000s. — mediazona