A Sochi native has been accused of supporting sabotage activities.

The Kuban Prosecutor's Office has approved charges against Sochi native Yevgeny Bursanidi. According to investigators, while outside of Russia, he urged a regional resident to commit sabotage on a railway.

According to investigators, from June 5 to July 20, 2023, the man was outside the country and communicated with a resident of the Krasnodar Krai via instant messaging. He urged his interlocutor to blow up and set fire to a section of railway near Krasnodar while a train carrying military equipment was passing along it.

Furthermore, a company in the region that produces components was targeted, with the aim of disrupting its operations. Investigators have established that a reward of 50,000 rubles was offered for these actions.

The accused is a 44-year-old native of Sochi. He is accused of aiding sabotage by inciting and recruiting individuals to commit explosions, arson, or other acts aimed at destroying or damaging transport infrastructure, the Krasnodar Krai Prosecutor's Office reported on February 9 on its Telegram channel. The criminal case has been sent to the Krasnodar Krai Court for trial in absentia, the office clarified. Caucasian Knot has not yet received any comments from the defendants or their lawyers regarding the prosecution's case. The prosecutor's office did not name the accused, but the case file on the Krasnodar Krai Court's website lists him as Yevgeny Bursanidi. Bursanidi, born in September 1981 in Sochi, was added to the Rosfinmonitoring registry of terrorists and extremists on May 3, 2024, according to a Telegram bot tracking updates to the list.

Bursanidi, a musician and founder and member of the rock band Carolle, lives in Thessaloniki, Greece. He was listed in 2024 on the Telegram channel of the St. Petersburg activist "Ink Ribbon." Media reports refer to Bursanidi as the leader of the Kuban independence movement. He was placed on the wanted list at the end of May 2024, according to the publication "Voice of Kuban."

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that a criminal case against two residents of the Anapa district, accused of sabotage, treason, and money laundering, had been transferred to the Krasnodar Regional Court. One of the defendants is 24 years old, the other is 26.