The Rostov-on-Don garrison military court sentenced former Ka-52 combat helicopter pilot, Senior Lieutenant Alexey Zemtsov, known by the call sign Voevoda, on July 16. He received three years in a general-regime penal colony in a case involving threats to kill, property damage, and large-scale extortion.
The ruling was reported by a support group on the serviceman’s Telegram channel. The post said that, in the authors’ view, Zemtsov’s return to the front now depends on how quickly the Ministry of Defense dismisses him and allows him to sign a new contract.
Zemtsov had previously said that in the fall of 2025 he learned of his wife’s infidelity. According to his account, he then attacked her alleged lover. He was later sent to a pretrial detention center after that episode.
The criminal case against Zemtsov reached court in February 2026. In April, he recorded a video message in which he said he was under pressure from senior military officials and, against that backdrop, threatened suicide.
In that appeal, Zemtsov named Aerospace Forces deputy commander Vladimir Kravchenko, his unit commander Colonel Avramenko, and military investigator Kantemirov. He said he considered them involved in the pressure exerted on him.
According to Zemtsov, until 2023 he was one of the administrators of the pro-war Telegram channel “Povernutye na voyne”, and later created his own channel. After publishing critical posts, he said, he was removed from flight duty.