Former Wagner Group fighter sentenced to 17 years in prison for sexual violence against minors

A Novosibirsk court has sentenced a former Wagner Group member to 17 years in prison on charges of sexual violence against two minors.

The court’s press release did not name the defendant, but according to the local Telegram channel Emergency NSK, his name is Sergey Shakhmatov. The channel also reported that Shakhmatov pleaded guilty to the charges and claimed he was not mentally sound at the time of the crime.

Novosibirsk media first reported on Shakhmatov’s arrest in May 2023. According to the outlet NGS.ru, the former mercenary took two girls, ages 10 and 12, behind a row of garages, threatened them with a weapon, and sexually abused them. Local lawmaker Svetlana Kaverzina said that Shakhmatov threatened to kill the children and their parents.

After Shakhmatov’s arrest, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed that he had fought as part of the group in Ukraine. According to Emergency NSK, Shakhmatov previously served 15 years in prison for fraud and theft.