"The sentence is harsh, but corresponds to the penalties prescribed by the article," well-known Kirov residents commented on the punishment for the former colonel.

      By a court decision Andrey Voronov was found guilty under para. "v" of part 5 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (receiving a large bribe) and para. "e" of part 3 of Article 286 (exceeding official powers out of personal interest). He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in a strict-regime penal colony, fined 19,327,780 rubles (20 times the amount of the bribe), and deprived of the right to hold positions related to the exercise of representative authority for six years. In addition, Voronov lost the special rank of "police colonel" and the state award — the Medal "For Distinction in the Protection of Public Order."

      Sergey Mamaev, head of the KPRF faction in the regional Legislative Assembly

      Sergey Mamaev noted that he personally knew Voronov from work back when the regional Interior Ministry was headed by Lieutenant General Sergey Solodovnikov:

      "I consider him, as a specialist, not bad. He was a competent officer, worked in the system for many years. But today the corruption component is overwhelming people who hold high posts, and they begin to think they are untouchable. If there is an evidentiary basis, I consider the court's decision correct."

      Mamaev added that the problem is not limited to one case:

      "The feeling of impunity — it is not only in this structure, but is manifested in practically all of them today. This is my personal position. And it is important that such cases are brought to sentencing — it is a signal to everyone that there is no immunity."

      Yan Chebotarev, lawyer

      Lawyer Yan Chebotarev emphasized that the imposed punishment corresponds to the statutory sanctions and is fairly severe:

      "Having studied the case materials, the court imposed a punishment within the limits of the article's sanction. In addition to six years in a strict-regime penal colony and a large fine, Voronov was stripped of his special rank and state award. He will not be able to claim a service pension. This is a very serious punishment."

      According to the expert, the prosecutor's office and Voronov himself may still appeal the sentence. But already now, in his opinion, the court's decision appears balanced:

      "Compared with other high-profile cases, Voronov's sentence cannot be called excessively lenient or, conversely, too harsh. For example, former governor Nikita Belykh for much larger sums of bribes received only slightly more."

      The lawyer also commented on the prospects of Voronov returning to service after serving the sentence:

      "Theoretically, he has the opportunity to return to police service — the laws do not prohibit this. But the practical chances are minimal: a conviction for a serious crime will for a long time be an obstacle, and his age makes it unlikely that he would start his career again from entry-level positions. So, most likely, he will not return to service in the Interior Ministry."

      Chebotarev noted that despite the severity of the punishment, the very fact of detecting such cases within the system is important for its cleansing:

      "I welcome it when state bodies themselves cleanse themselves of those who did not resist temptation. It is a sign that the system works and is generally healthy."

      Denis Erokhin, deputy of the Kirov City Duma

      Kirov City Duma deputy Denis Erokhin noted that he does not consider it appropriate to discuss the court decision in detail, but in his opinion the punishment for high-ranking security officers should be as severe as possible:

      "When a person puts on a uniform and is vested with authority, and then is caught in corruption — the punishment, in my view, should be even tougher. Because you cannot dip into the state's pocket if you go into public service. Otherwise people's trust in the system collapses."

      Erokhin believes that the problem with corruption is that many officials and security officers over time lose a sense of proportion and a sense of responsibility:

      "They lose vigilance and are confident in their impunity. The deputy head of the regional Interior Ministry directorate surely thought that criminal prosecution would never touch him. Therefore, the deprivation of all state awards, ranks and even pension is the natural outcome of his career."

      In the deputy's opinion, punishments for corruption in Russia are still not strict enough:

      "Ideally, we should be like China — they take a tough approach to this issue. There should be no suspended sentences for bribes. Only then will corruption cease to be the norm."

      Erokhin also thanked the law enforcement agencies that brought the case to court:

      "Great respect to those who conducted the investigation and were able to prove the guilt of a high-ranking officer. This is an important signal — the law is the same for everyone, even for the lowest people in the leadership of the Interior Ministry." The video of the announcement of the sentence to Andrey Voronov can be watched here.