Russia Colonel Given Jail Time Over Crimea's Inadequate Defenses

A former senior officer for the Russian National Guard was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday after he was found guilty of buying low-quality equipment that failed to protect the bridge that connects the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia.

Colonel Sergei Volkov was behind the purchasing of two radar air defense systems to protect the Kerch Strait Bridge from Ukrainian drone attacks, according to Russian state-run news agency Tass. The bridge, which serves as a key supply route for Russia's forces fighting in Ukraine, has been targeted by Kyiv for months.

The two Orel-2020 radar systems were also intended to protect a gas pipeline running between southern Russia and Crimea and were reportedly purchased by Volkov for nearly 400 million rubles ($4,547,520). Russian prosecutors said that the colonel knew that there were issues with the equipment in being able to combat Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, namely that the systems were unable to suppress UAV's signals, according to Tass.

The colonel was reportedly first detained in March 2023. Ukraine carried out successful attacks against the Kerch Bridge in October 2022 and July 2023.

Volkov was found in violation of abusing his position under the Russian Criminal Code and was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday. Prosecutors at first sought a seven-year sentence against the colonel, who pleaded not guilty in the case.

Volkov's attorney, Vladimir Andrusenko, previously told Tass that the Russian Guard purchased the Orel systems from a manufacturer who held a monopoly on the type of equipment the military was seeking. Volkov also argued that the systems were never intended to protect the Kerch Strait Bridge but instead were bought in order to protect the positions of naval guardsmen stationed in Crimea.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry via email for comment.

The Crimea Peninsula, which was annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 from Ukraine, has faced the brunt of Ukraine's air strikes in recent months. Western intelligence has assessed that the aerial attacks have likely degraded Russia's air defenses in the region.

Ukraine has carried out several successful strikes against Putin's Black Sea Fleet, including taking out Russia's Ropucha-class Novocherkassk landing ship in an attack last month.

The air strikes have resulted in several Russian casualties, including the death of Russian Colonel Vadim Nailyovich Ismagilov, the commander of the 3rd Signals Intelligence Regiment of Russia's Aerospace Forces who was reportedly killed in an attack earlier this month near the port city of Sevastopol.

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