On December 4, 2025, the Moscow Regional Court sentenced 34-year-old physicist Artyom Khoroshilov, a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences and an employee of the Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, to 21 years in prison and a fine of 700,000 rubles. He is to serve the first five years in prison and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony.
According to Novaya Gazeta-Baltia, before the criminal case Khoroshilov lived in Noginsk, graduated from MIPT with honors, worked in the low-temperature and cryogenic engineering department at the institute, and also tutored students in math and physics. Relatives and colleagues described him as science-driven, kind and reserved.
The case began after a search on January 25, 2023. Another search took place in December 2023, after which he was sent to Lefortovo pretrial detention center. In February 2024, he was charged with unlawful interference with Russia’s critical information infrastructure, and in August that year investigators added a treason charge.
The FSB alleged that Khoroshilov sent money and cryptocurrency to Ukrainian foundations, including Come Back Alive. Investigators said the total was nearly 700,000 rubles. The scientist admitted making the transfers and said he had wanted to help relatives in the Kyiv region and other Ukrainian civilians after the start of the full-scale war.
“I fully admit guilt under Article 275 of the Criminal Code,” Khoroshilov told the court, adding that he had provided passwords, cryptocurrency transaction data and other assistance to the investigation.
The second part of the case concerned a DDoS attack on Russian Post servers in August 2022. Case materials said one of 500 IP addresses involved belonged to his computer. Khoroshilov admitted downloading and launching the software but said he had only tested it and had not taken part in the attack on the dates named by the prosecution. A Russian Post representative told the court the attack was stopped within 15 minutes and caused only reputational damage.
Later, the prosecution added charges of preparing sabotage and незаконal firearms manufacture. After the verdict, the scientist’s mother, Tamara Khoroshilova, told reporters that she saw the sentence as “a death sentence” for herself.