However, the silovik was substantially punished for exceeding his powers.

Lieutenant Colonel of St. Petersburg police Sergey Kulakov was accused of Exceeding Official Powers (Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and Failure to Fulfill his Duties to file a notice of the citizen of the Russian Federation with the citizenship of a foreign state or residence permit (Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). He was taken into custody in the courtroom.

Kulakov also fined 10 thousand ruble ($172) and was deprived of the right to hold public office for two years, TASS reported. Until October 2, the ex-policeman was under recognizance not to leave.

It is noted that the defendant received the main punishment not for concealing American citizenship, but for exceeding his powers: while working as an operative of the 16th police department of St. Petersburg, he incited the victim to participate in the investigative experiment without legal grounds. As a result, the woman was brought to criminal liability.

The police began an official check against Kulakov in September 2016. Then the MIA Main Department in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region stated that, according to Russian law, employees of internal affairs bodies are subject to dismissal in the event of obtaining foreign nationality or citizenship.

Sergey Kulakov worked in the internal affairs bodies of St. Petersburg until 2004. After that, he went to the United States, where for several years he served in the airborne forces. According to Interfax , Kulakov took part in the fighting on the side of the United States. In 2009, he returned to St. Petersburg and entered the service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs again.