Two St. Petersburg men sentenced to 15 and 16 years for plot to poison food supplies bound for fighters in ‘Espanyola’ Russian paramilitary brigade
A Russian court has sentenced two men to lengthy prison terms in a plot to poison food supplies bound for fighters of “Espanyola”, the Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti reported. Nikita Krasilnikov, 22, received 16 years, while Rinat Ilyin, 20, received 15.
The two were charged with participation in a terrorist organization, attempted terrorism, and treason, according to Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet. Both will spend their first four years in a prison facility before being transferred to a strict-regime penal colony. Prosecutors had sought 18 and 17 years, respectively.
According to the prosecution, Krasilnikov and Ilyin, along with a third defendant, Artyom Shcherbakov, were recruited by the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) and paid by Ukraine for their cooperation. Prosecutors alleged that they were to poison food and ship it as humanitarian aid to “Espanyola” personnel and residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
Ilyin kept a bag of poison at the apartment he shared with Shcherbakov; Krasilnikov had brought the bag from a warehouse, Bumaga reported.
At trial, Krasilnikov and Ilyin said they had not known they were carrying out assignments that Shcherbakov had received from the RVC. Both acknowledged the factual circumstances of the case, expressed remorse, and asked the court for leniency. Each also described being subjected to pressure by law enforcement officers during their initial interrogations, including torture and beatings.
The case against Shcherbakov — a member of the far-right group White Boys Nevograd — was separated into its own case. He pleaded guilty, testified against Ilyin and Krasilnikov, and received 15 years in prison.
As Bumaga notes, the Russian Volunteer Corps and Espanyola have long been at odds: both units are predominantly Russian nationalist, but they fight on opposite sides of the front.
In early October 2025, Espanyola announced it was disbanding. Some of its fighters joined formations within the Russian Defense Ministry’s volunteer corps. Two months after the disbandment, the unit announced the death of its leader and commander, Stanislav Orlov, known by the call sign “Ispanets” (“the Spaniard”).
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Russian Volunteer Corps
A unit that has been part of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry since 2022. The RVC’s leaders are widely reported to hold far-right and neo-Nazi views. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, which also fights on Ukraine’s side, have repeatedly claimed to have organized raids into Russian border regions.
“Espanyola”
The “Espanyola” brigade was formed primarily from soccer fans; some of its fighters openly hold neo-Nazi views. It was eventually put under the command of the “Redut” mercenary group controlled by Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU.