Two divers charged over illegal harvest of more than 1,000 sea cucumbers in Vladivostok, losses put at 750,000 rubles

The Primorsky Territory prosecutor's office announced on 13 November 2026 that it had approved an indictment against two divers. According to law enforcement information, the two criminal defendants illegally harvested more than 1,000 sea cucumbers.

The two men are charged under Article 256, Part 3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, namely "illegal harvesting of aquatic biological resources at spawning grounds, committed by a group of persons acting in prior conspiracy, causing especially large damage."

According to the investigators, the illegal harvesting by the two took place in July 2026 in the waters of Novik Bay on Russky Island in Vladivostok. They placed their catch in plastic crates. The press service of the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office told Fishnews that the damage caused amounted to 750,000 rubles.

Both citizens have pleaded guilty. The case has been referred to the Frunzensky District Court of Vladivostok.