Russia has tried in absentia former Aeroflot manager Andrei Panov, who threw in the towel and left the Russian Federation shortly after the start of the war against Ukraine.

The Moscow-Khoroshevsky District Court sentenced the former deputy general director of Russia's largest state airline to a long prison term in absentia. However, it was not about his statements that he made outside the Russian Federation after his escape, but he is accused of fraud in connection with a consulting contract with a US marketing agency. This was signed in 2019 and has a volume of around 3,2 million US dollars.

Speaking to the Financial Times, among others, Panow said he believes the actions and sentencing in absentia were politically motivated. He points out that the criminal proceedings would have been initiated immediately after his departure from the Russian Federation.