KRASNOGORSK, February 4 (RAPSI) - The Moscow Region Court on Tuesday has sentenced Sergei Kabalov, Russian businessman found guilty of attempting to hijack a plane while drunk, to 3,5 years in maximum security prison, RAPSI reports from the courtroom.

The court also fined Kabalov for 400,000 rubles ($11,000), and imposed a year long movement restriction after the principal sentence has been served. The court decided to impose a sentence lower than stipulated 12 years in jail liability for hijacking, because the airplane did not alter its course.

Kabalov, a 54-year-old businessman from Saratov, started to behave violently when drunk on board a Kogalymavia airliner bound for Egypt on January 11, and tried to break into the cockpit. A criminal case was launched against him for attempted hijacking and assault.

A YouTube video made by another passenger shows Kabalov punching one male passenger on the nose and striking a flight attendant. He also yelled he was part of Russia’s intelligence services and threatened he “could kill anyone with two fingers.”

Kabalov’s case is one in a string of recent brawls caused by Russian airline passengers, prompting calls from politicians for a crackdown on on-board drinking.