Russia: Man jailed for 20 years over alleged plan to bomb customs building

The Southern District Military Court in Russia has sentenced Alexander Zhigun, a resident of the Stavropol Territory, to 20 years in prison for plotting a terrorist attack on a local customs office, a court representative told TASS.

According to the court, between February 13 and March 28, 2024, Zhigun examined several sites in the Stavropol Territory as potential targets for a terrorist act. He later coordinated with his handler to determine the specific location for the planned attack—an explosion and subsequent arson at the customs building.

“The defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment in a strict-regime penal colony, with the first four years to be served in prison,” the court representative said.

Investigators established that in February 2024, Zhigun contacted a representative of the Ukrainian national battalion “Azov,” one of the volunteer brigades fighting alongside the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine. He recorded a video declaring his intention to join the unit voluntarily.

Zhigun subsequently photographed and filmed various facilities in the region and sent the materials to the Azov contact. After selecting the customs building as his target, he rented a garage, purchased components to manufacture an explosive device, assembled it, and stored it there.

Zhigun was detained in March 2024. He was charged under Part 3 of Article 223.1 (preparation for the illegal manufacture of explosives) and Article 275 (state treason) of the Russian Criminal Code.

By Tamilla Hasanova