Russians convicted of picking bugs in Sri Lanka pay a fine

Russians convicted in Sri Lanka for illegal collection of beetles pay a fine and fly to Russia

Three Russians, whom the court found guilty of illegal collection of beetles in Sri Lanka, have paid their fine and are going to return to Russia. They spent over a year and a half on the island

Three Russians convicted by a Sri Lankan court of illegal collection of insects have paid a fine and are going to return to Russia, reports “RIA News” with reference to the Russian embassy.

“Yesterday, January 31, Russian citizens paid a fine, received court permission to leave Sri Lanka, and today they fly to Moscow,” they said.

The court delivered its verdict on January 21. An employee of the zoo from Rostov-on-Don, Alexander Ignatenko, and two of his friends, Artem Ryabov and Nikolai Kalifyan, were sentenced to two years probation with a probationary period of up to five years, as well as a fine of $14,000 each. After paying the fine, the Russians were allowed to collect their passports and return to their homeland. If they didn’t pay, they faced jail time.

The Russians have been in Sri Lanka since the spring of 2020. Then Ignatenko was detained in one of the island’s national parks. Dead beetles were found in his pockets, and then in the hotel room. The zoologist claimed that he followed the rules and picked up already dead insects from the ground outside the parks. According to Ignatenko, 277 charges were brought against him.