Collecting beetles in Sri Lanka, the Russians received suspended sentences

Court in Sri Lanka gave two years probation to Russians in case of collecting bugs

Zoologist Alexander Ignatenko, who was detained in the spring of 2020 for illegal collection of insects, and two of his friends were sentenced to a fine and a suspended sentence. By paying a fine, the Russians will be able to get passports and return to their homeland

Court in Sri Lanka has sentenced three Russians accused of illegal collection of bugs, reported “RIA News” at the Russian embassy.

Each of the Russians will have to pay a fine of about 14 thousand US dollars by March 11. After that, they will be able to obtain passports and return to their homeland. In addition, they were sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence with a probationary period of up to five years.

The embassy noted that if the Russians do not pay the fine, they will face imprisonment. In court, the accused pleaded guilty.

In the spring of 2020, Alexander Ignatenko, a zoologist from Rostov-on-Don, was detained in one of the national parks of Sri Lanka. In his pockets they found insects that he picked up for study from the ground outside the park – according to scientist, the beetles were already dead. Other dead insects were found in Ignatenko’s hotel room.