The 2nd Western District Military Court sentenced 50-year-old Irakli Pipiya, who holds Russian and Georgian citizenship, to three years in a general-regime penal colony. He was found guilty in a case involving calls for terrorism, according to the court’s press service.
The court said that before his detention, Pipiya worked as a driver for the municipal enterprise Istrinskaya Teploset.
The criminal case stemmed from a comment he posted in October 2023 under a Telegram video showing men in military uniform performing the song “Rise Up, Donbas”. According to law enforcement, the text contained signs of incitement in the form of a call to engage in terrorist activity, as well as justification of terrorism.
The court said that when he published the comment, Pipiya held a negative view of the policies of Vladimir Putin and the Russian government, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Pipiya admitted guilt. During the preliminary investigation, he said he wrote the comment after recalling the death of a friend’s daughter in March 2023. According to the court release, he blamed Russia for her death in connection with the conduct of the “special military operation”.
In May 2026, Pipiya was added to Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “terrorists and extremists.”