The man has been found guilty of treason and terrorism after sending poisoned cake and alcohol to an anniversary event
A Russian court has sentenced a man recruited by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to 27 years in prison for attempting to poison graduates of a military aviation school, multiple media outlets have reported.
The incident took place in October 2023 in Russia’s southern city of Armavir, where former cadets of the Higher Military Aviation School were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their graduation.
On Tuesday, the Southern District Military Court reportedly found Yegor Semyonov guilty of treason and terrorism. The first five years of his sentence are to be served in prison, with the remainder in a high-security penal colony.
According to the investigation, Semyonov, a native of Ukraine, moved to Russia in 2018 and acquired Russian citizenship in 2022. Shortly afterward, he contacted the SBU and offered to cooperate.
Acting on instructions from Ukrainian handlers in late 2023, he apparently traveled to Armavir, purchased over 100 bottles of alcohol, and ordered a large cake decorated with the aviation school’s emblem.
A courier delivered the items to the restaurant where 77 guests were attending the banquet. The courier claimed the gift was from a former student who could not attend. Guests cut the cake but did not eat it, reportedly alarmed by a strong chemical smell. Military officers alerted the Federal Security Service (FSB), which quickly traced the delivery to Semyonov.
He was detained at a local airport trying to board a flight to Moscow. According to investigators, he had planned to flee to Egypt with his family but never received the 400,000 rubles (over $4,000) allegedly promised by his handlers. In court, he pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors, who had sought a life sentence, said they would appeal the ruling.
Kiev’s intelligence services have tried to use toxic chemicals to carry out attacks inside Russia before since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The FSB has reported multiple foiled sabotage plots involving toxic substances.
In January, officials said they disrupted a plan to target staff at a defense industry facility in the city of Yaroslavl. In another case, four people were arrested in St. Petersburg for allegedly planning to poison food prepared by volunteers for Russian troops.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of using terrorist tactics, citing targeted assassinations of civilians and covert operations carried out by Ukraine’s intelligence services in an effort to derail peace negotiations.
