A physicist from the Moscow region transferred all his 7,000 euros to Ukrainians - and received 21 years in a strict regime 0 8

The Moscow Regional Court sentenced 34-year-old physicist Artem Khoroshilov from the Moscow region to 21 years in prison on charges of treason, attacking critical infrastructure, preparing a sabotage, and manufacturing explosives. This is the harshest sentence against a Russian scientist in a treason case, notes T-Invariant.

Judge Roman Izmailov of the Moscow Regional Court sentenced researcher Artem Khoroshilov from the A.N. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The scientist was found guilty of treason, organizing a DDoS attack on "Russian Post," and preparing sabotage on the railway.

As noted by Mediazona, Khoroshilov must spend the first five years in prison; the remaining part of the sentence will be served in a strict regime colony. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of 700,000 rubles and two years of restriction of freedom after the main sentence.

The prosecution sought a 25-year sentence. The treason episode is related to the transfer of 700,000 rubles (7,000 euros) — all of the scientist's savings — to the Ukrainian fund "Come Back Alive," which supports Ukrainian military and humanitarian projects. According to case materials, in 2022, Khoroshilov transferred funds several times through cryptocurrency services.

The accused partially admitted to the transfers but insisted that he was guided solely by humanitarian motives.

"Personally, I made the decision that I cannot remain indifferent and just live as before. The goal of all my actions was to help save at least one life in this war, no matter how much it cost me," Khoroshilov noted in his last words before the verdict.

The scientist's mother, Tamara Khoroshilova, told the scientific publication T-Invariant that for her son, this was the only possible way to support his relatives. She has a sister and other relatives living in Ukraine:

"He saved them for many years. And he sent everything he earned in his life, everything he had. Well, why? To support his relatives. He could not transfer this money directly to his relatives, as money transfers between Russia and Ukraine were cut off almost immediately after the start of the 'special military operation.' He did not consult with me — he just sent it all."

The investigation qualified these transfers as "providing financial assistance to a foreign organization acting against the security of Russia," and charged Khoroshilov with treason.

The second episode of the charges concerns "preparing a sabotage." As Mediazona reported, during a search of Khoroshilov's home, several types of nitrate, acetone, lighter fluid, and an Arduino kit were found. An expert examination deemed one type of nitrate unsuitable for producing explosives; however, according to his mother, "neither the investigation nor the court took this into account." The scientist's mother claims that the nitrate was used solely as fertilizer.

"Artem has been growing something all his life: tomatoes, cucumbers, lemons. For dad — seedlings for the cemetery. He bought several types of nitrate because he didn't know which one was needed," she says.

Another "piece of evidence" the investigation cited was a photograph taken by Khoroshilov during a walk near his home in Noginsk. The photo shows a forest, but in the tree line, railway tracks were visible, which, according to the security forces, lead to a military unit. This photograph was interpreted as "gathering information for an attack on a military infrastructure facility."

Khoroshilov did not admit guilt in this episode.

The next episode concerns the alleged DDoS attack on "Russian Post." According to the investigation, in August 2022, Khoroshilov, along with unidentified accomplices, launched a distributed attack on the servers of "Russian Post" from his own computer. The scientist confirmed that he indeed downloaded and launched malicious software but stated that his involvement in the attack on specific servers was not proven. He petitioned for a reclassification of the charges to the article on using hacking software, but this did not happen. At the same time, "Russian Post" did not make any material claims against Khoroshilov.

The physicist was detained on December 12, 2023. Later, he was charged with treason, unlawful influence on critical infrastructure of the Russian Federation, attempted sabotage, and attempted illegal manufacturing of explosives.

On April 14, 2025, Rosfinmonitoring included Artem Khoroshilov in the list of terrorists and extremists.

"Higher education and academic degree aggravate his guilt"

Artem Khoroshilov is a graduate of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT). After graduating from university, he worked at the A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the low-temperature and cryogenic technology department, and he was also a tutor in physics and mathematics.

He is the author and co-author of several dozen articles in leading Russian and foreign scientific journals, holding a PhD in physics and mathematics.

The academic degree and higher education in Artem Khoroshilov's case turned out to be aggravating circumstances. "The defendant Khoroshilov has a higher education, an academic degree, and positive characteristics. However, it is precisely these circumstances that aggravate his guilt. He, possessing a high intellectual potential, consciously and purposefully directed his knowledge and skills towards undermining the security of his own country, acting not out of ignorance, but based on deep and persistent anti-state convictions," stated state prosecutor Madina Dolgieva when requesting 25 years of imprisonment for the physicist.