Latvian court sentences taxi driver to seven years in prison for spying for Russia

Illustrative photo from open sources

The Riga City Court sentenced taxi driver Sergei Sidorov to seven years in prison in a case of espionage for Russia. After the verdict was announced, he refused to speak to journalists, stating only that he intended to appeal the city court's decision in the Riga Regional Court.

According to the investigation, Sidorov was collecting and transmitting data on behalf of the organization “Anti-Fascists of the Baltics”. Allegedly, during the investigation, 23 cases of espionage on his part were revealed. The taxi driver transmitted information about the armed forces of Latvia and allied countries on its territory, data on strategically important objects, as well as information about companies in Latvia that support Ukraine.

In April 2023, Delfi writes, citing case materials, Sidorov sent an unidentified person a message via Telegram that a military ship had entered the port of Riga, moored at a closed berth, and was being unloaded. He also talked about plans to blow up a drone testing ground located near Riga and an oil terminal.

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Sidorov partially admitted his guilt. He said that he liked a girl, pro-Russian blogger and administrator of the Telegram channel “Anti-Fascists of the Baltics” Victoria Matule. And the man, according to him, wanted to impress her.

The taxi driver was detained on August 15, 2023. Several storage devices were allegedly found at his home, as well as “symbols confirming the person's pro-Kremlin ideological beliefs,” – flags of Russia and the USSR.

The Latvian State Security Service opened a criminal case against the “Anti-Fascists of the Baltics” in November 2022. According to the agency, the association acted against the interests of Latvia's national security, including collecting classified information for the purpose of transmitting it to Russian special services. The criminal proceedings against the taxi driver are separate from the “Anti-Fascists of the Baltics” case.

Prepared by: Sergey Daga