A court in Russia's Altai region has sentenced a 53-year-old farmer, Andrey Padalka, to 14 years in prison and a fine of 350,000 rubles for treason. The charges stemmed from five photographs taken at the Irkutsk Polymer Plant, where Padalka worked as a dump truck driver. These images were reportedly shared on the Telegram channel of the Crimean Tatar movement 'Atesh', which is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia.

Padalka claims he was photographing sand and gravel for a logistician to clarify material loading and did not transmit anything to 'Atesh'. The investigator did not interrogate this logistician. A security service employee stated that the author of the photos was identified via satellite monitoring, but the defense argued that satellite images lack dates and the enterprise area is not fenced. Padalka was detained on October 16, 2024, and his defense claims he was held by the FSB for six months under state protection before his family learned of his whereabouts in April 2025. Padalka also alleged mistreatment and threats in pre-trial detention.