A writer from Volyn was sentenced to six years in prison for justifying Russia's aggression
A court in Lutsk sentenced 68-year-old writer and journalist Serhiy Bortnikov to six years in prison without confiscation of property. He was found guilty of justifying Russian aggression, denying the occupation of Ukrainian territories, and glorifying those involved in it. According to the investigation, the man collaborated with Moscow-based publishing houses and disseminated propaganda, particularly regarding “brotherly nations” and “eight years of bombing in Donbas.”
This was reported with reference to the Volyn Regional Prosecutor’s Office and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Volyn Oblast.
What the prosecution proved
The pre-trial investigation was conducted by investigators from the SBU Directorate in Volyn Oblast. According to the SBU, Bortnikov was detained in May 2024. The case went to trial on July 16, 2024, and the proceedings lasted one year and eight months. The court imposed a sentence for the aggregate of crimes under Parts 1 and 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—by absorbing the less severe sentence into the more severe one: a final sentence of six years’ imprisonment.
The investigation established that between August 2022 and January 2024, Bortnikov aggressively promoted pro-Russian narratives in private email correspondence with acquaintances:
- he claimed that Ukraine had “bombed Donbas for 8 years” and that it was Ukraine that started the conflict with Russia;
- he referred to Ukrainians and Russians as “brotherly peoples” and to Ukraine as “ancient Russian land”;
- justified the actions of the Russian army and idealized its soldiers;
- denied the temporary occupation of Ukrainian territories;
- condemned “liberal European values.”
During a search of the writer’s home, books published by the Moscow-based publishing house “Vecher” were seized. The investigation also established that Bortnikov participated in the creation of the “Volyn Branch of the Union of Writers of Russia” and maintained ties with a Russian citizen.
Who is Serhiy Bortnikov
Serhiy Bortnikov was born in 1957 in Lutsk. He graduated from the History Department of the Lutsk Pedagogical Institute and worked for several years at the Volyn Regional Museum of Local History. Since the late 1980s, he has written humorous stories, children’s novels, and detective stories, which have been published in the Kyiv-based magazines “Perets” and “Odnoklassnik,” as well as in Volyn regional newspapers. He published his Russian-language books—*The Laws of Intelligence*, *The Mystery of Nesvizh Castle*, *Hunting the Killer*, and others—primarily through the Moscow-based publishers *Veche* and *Eksmo*, distributing them via Russian online libraries.
In 2005, he registered the Volyn Regional Organization “Russian Cultural Center” in Lutsk (renamed the “Center for Intercultural Communications” in 2017). In 2014, he condemned Euromaidan and advocated for “peace” with Russia. In 2018, he gave interviews to Russian publications—the newspaper “Novy Vtorik” and the magazine “Military-Industrial Complex.”
The verdict has not yet taken effect
During the trial, the defendant remained free on his own recognizance. In court, Bortnikov denied all charges. The writer’s attorney, Oleksandr Lavrenchuk, stated that they would appeal the verdict. “We haven’t seen the full text of the verdict yet. But we will appeal. Serhiy Bortnikov is determined to fight to the end,” the attorney said.
The verdict has not yet taken legal effect—there is a 30-day period to appeal to the Volyn Regional Court of Appeals. The sentence will begin to be served once the verdict is enforced.
Video: Zyuganovwarned of the risk of a revolution in Russia as early as this fall.
After three years of unexpected economic growth, Russia is facing a sudden slowdown—war costs, inflation, and falling oil prices have begun to weigh on an economy that until recently seemed resilient to sanctions.
Consumer lending in Russia has fallen to a six-year low.
