A court in the city of Yekaterinburg in the Russian Urals has sentenced a teenager to seven years in prison for planning to join the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a paramilitary group fighting alongside the Armed Forces of Ukraine, independent media outlet Mediazona reported on Monday.
Despite being convicted of attempted treason and involvement with a terrorist organisation, 19-year-old Vadim Tomilov was only given half the usual sentence for each of the charges on the grounds of his age, his clean prior record and due to fact that he had cooperated with the investigation and confessed to the charges against him.
According to investigators, Tomilov decided to join the RVC in April 2024, shortly after he turned 18. The RVC then invited Tomilov to the Georgian capital Tbilisi, asking him to bring cash to cover the cost of his accommodation. Tomilov took out a loan, checked into a hostel in Yekaterinburg, and bought plane tickets to Tbilisi for 11 May.
Tomilov’s parents, who were unaware of his decision, reported their son missing to the police. After re-establishing contact with his parents, Tomilov told them his plans and shared a documentary about the RVC with them. Though Tomilov’s parents ultimately managed to talk their son out of joining the RVC, they also passed the details of his whereabouts and the content of his messages to the police.
Tomilov was arrested on 9 May 2024 and handed over to Russia’s Federal Security Service, where Tomilov claims he was beaten and threatened into signing a confession. His arresting officer told the court that Tomilov had told him he was a follower of Nazi ideology and hated the current regime in Moscow.
Prosecutors also alleged that a belt with a Nazi eagle and a swastika was found among Tomilov’s belongings, though Tomilov denied holding radical ideas in court, according to Mediazona.
“I do not admit guilt in this criminal case. … Even though I intended [to join the RVC], I changed my mind. I hope the court will treat me humanely,” Tomilov said.
Russia’s financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring added Tomilov to its list of terrorists and extremists in July. The RVC was founded in August 2022 and was declared a terrorist organisation by Moscow in December 2023.