Jailed Russian Ex-Intelligence Officer Kvachkov Receives Additional Sentence

former Russian intelligence officer Vladimir Kvachkov (file photo)

A former Russian intelligence officer who is serving a prison term for an alleged attempt to overthrow the government, has been handed an additional prison term for incitement to hatred.

The Volga Region Military Court in Samara on August 18 found Vladimir Kvachkov guilty of inciting hatred and sentenced him the same day.

Kvachkov, who still had to serve a remainder of 16 months from his previous eight-year prison conviction, will now have to spend 24 more months in custody. His lawyers say they will appeal the court's ruling.

Investigators say Kvachkov during his incarceration managed to smuggle a video recording outside the penitentiary, which was posted on the Internet in 2015. In the video, he called on "an unlimited number of people" to overthrow the government, the court said.

After the video appeared on the Internet, an investigation was launched, and Kvachkov was charged with publicly inciting to terrorism. During the trial, on August 4, the judge changed the charge to incitement to hatred.

Kvachkov was arrested in December 2010 and charged with forming a terrorist group that planned to overthrow the government. He denied the charges.

Kvachikov was convicted on those charges and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2013. The term was later cut to eight years.

Earlier in 2005, Kvachkov was arrested for alleged planning to murder former Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais. He was acquitted on that charge twice, in 2008 and 2010.