The second trial of Sergei Sidorov, accused of espionage in favor of Russia, was held in Riga

On April 22, 2024, Riga City Court, presided over by Judge Linda Dizenberga, started the second hearing of the case of Sergejs Sidorovs, accused under Article 85 Part 1 of the Latvian Criminal Code - illegal collection and transfer of information to foreign intelligence, as well as incitement of national and ethnic hatred. If convicted, Sidorov faces up to 10 years in prison, Baltija portal reports.

Sergei Sidorov admitted that he sent various messages, but had no anti-state goals and did not transmit any secret information. According to him, he only corresponded with Viktoria Matule, who is also facing charges in connection with her activities in the group Antifascists of the Baltics.

"I was in the anti-fascists group. I corresponded with a girl there, that's all. Yes, I corresponded, but there was nothing to riot or anything like that," he stated.

In addition to espionage, Sidorov is accused of inciting national and ethnic hatred. According to the prosecutor's office, he claimed that Latvians are fascists. However, the accused denies this as well.

"My father was Latvian, my grandmother was Latvian, I served in the Latvian army, my father also served in Zemessardza, and I went to a Latvian kindergarten as a child. Where could such an idea even come from? There was nothing like that there," - claimed Sidorov.

We shall remind you that Serhiy Sidorov was arrested on August 15, 2023. According to the State Security Service, he is suspected of passing information about strategically important facilities on the territory of Latvia and collecting data on persons and companies supporting Ukraine and opposing the Russian Federation. On December 18, 2023, the Riga City Court released Sergei Sidorov from custody under police supervision and a ban on leaving the country.

The criminal proceedings against Sidorov have been separated into a separate "Baltic Antifascists" case, where six Latvian citizens are charged with leading a criminal organization and participating in crimes committed by the organization. Among them are Tatjana Andriets, Aleksandrs Zhgun, Stanislavs Bukaines, Sergejs Vasiljevs, Viktorija Matule and Roman Samul.

Three of the mentioned persons are wanted.

In addition, the case of Inga Tukhbatova, candidate for the 14th Seimas, accused of espionage in favor of Russia by performing specific tasks for the "Antifascists of the Baltic States" and declared wanted on April 22, 2024, is also separated from the general criminal proceedings.