Sochi’s former mayor reportedly left to fight in Ukraine. Authorities brought him back, and a court has now sentenced him to 15 years for bribery.
Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court sentenced former Sochi Mayor Alexey Kopaygorodsky to 15 years in a high-security prison after finding him guilty of accepting 248 million rubles in bribes.
Former Sochi Mayor Alexey Kopaygorodsky has been sentenced to 15 years in a high-security prison for accepting 248 million rubles in bribes, according to Meshchansky District Court in Moscow. The court also imposed a 500 million ruble fine, barred him from holding civil service leadership positions for 14.5 years, and confiscated his Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland," Second Class.
His wife, Yanina, was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined 500 million rubles. Both defendants pleaded not guilty. Kopaygorodsky, who became mayor in September 2019, resigned in May 2024 to fight in the war against Ukraine, allegedly while under investigation. Prosecutors had sought a 21-year sentence for Kopaygorodsky and a 16-year sentence for his wife, but the defense sought acquittals.
The couple was accused of accepting bribes from local business owners in exchange for preferential treatment for their businesses. Assets worth over 1.6 billion rubles were confiscated from the Kopaygorodskys.
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