A military court in Moscow has sentenced acclaimed Russian writer Boris Akunin (real name Grigory Chkhartishvili) to 14 years in prison in absentia. The 2nd Western District Military Court found him guilty of aiding terrorist activity, publicly justifying terrorism, and failing to comply with obligations as a registered foreign agent.
The verdict stipulates that Akunin will serve the first four years in a high-security prison and the remaining term in a strict-regime penal colony. He was also fined 400,000 rubles and banned from administering websites for four years. The trial lasted one day and was held without Akunin’s participation, as he resides in the United Kingdom.
The prosecution, led by state prosecutor Natalia Makarova, had demanded an 18-year sentence and a five-year post-release ban on managing websites.
Akunin, who called the proceedings a "farce," rejected the legitimacy of the trial and stated on his Telegram channel: "I do not recognize their court."
The charges stem largely from a recorded conversation Akunin had with Russian pranksters who posed as Ukrainian officials. In the video, recorded without his knowledge, the author expressed support for cultural dialogue and anti-war efforts. He also commented on drone attacks in Russia and advocated informing Russian soldiers about the option of surrender.
Another piece of evidence was a February 18, 2024 post on his Telegram channel, in which he wrote that he no longer believed in evolutionary change in Russia. Prosecutors interpreted this as a public endorsement of terrorism.
The third charge concerns Akunin’s alleged failure to label his publications with the mandatory "foreign agent" designation. According to the investigation, from January to April 2025, he published at least 33 materials without this notice, despite being twice fined for similar violations in 2024. Akunin holds dual Russian and British citizenship.
His court-appointed attorney, Oleg Dubinin, argued that the prosecution failed to prove Akunin’s authorship of the Telegram posts and did not produce key witnesses, such as the pranksters who recorded the pivotal conversation. The lawyer emphasized that no evidence confirmed Akunin directly controlled the Telegram account in question.
Akunin has lived in the UK since 2014. His books, particularly the Erast Fandorin detective novels and History of the Russian State series, once enjoyed massive popularity in Russia. In late 2023, the government added him to the official list of terrorists and extremists. Shortly afterward, his books were removed from libraries and bookstores, and theater productions based on his works were canceled. He is now wanted internationally by Russian authorities.
