Andrey Moroztsev. Photo: VK
A law student in Russia’s far eastern Khabarovsk region has been sentenced to five years in a maximum-security penal colony for ordering large quantities of drugs by mail, which his family says were for the purpose of treating a sleep disorder, independent news channel 7x7 reported on Thursday.
Andrey Moroztsev, 23, who suffers from hypersomnia, a rare and incurable neurological disorder that causes constant drowsiness and difficulty concentrating, first had charges brought against him in spring 2023 after he ordered a Modafinil-based medication from India by mail.
Modafinil, a substance commonly used around the world to treat hypersomnia, is listed in Russia as a controlled narcotic and psychotropic substance, though it is not banned outright and can be prescribed by doctors.
According to Moroztsev, he was recommended the Modafinil-based medication by an American doctor during an online consultation. After unsuccessfully petitioning Russia’s Health Ministry to prescribe him with it, he decided to order it by mail himself.
Moroztsev’s lawyer argued unsuccessfully for his client’s actions to be prosecuted as administrative, rather than criminal, offences. His prosecutors requested the court hand him an 11-year prison sentence.
After his sentence was read aloud, Moroztsev attempted to harm himself using a necklace he was wearing, but was prevented from doing so by bailiffs, pro-Kremlin television channel NTV reported.
“I'm sorry, but I have failed. The story is fully over this time. I truly did everything I could. I have lived a short, but happy and vibrant life,” Moroztsev wrote on his VK page prior to his sentencing. According to NTV, Moroztsev and his legal team intend to appeal his sentence with the Khabarovsk Regional Court.
