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Court sentences 4 residents of occupied territories fighting for Russia to 15 years in prison

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Court sentences 4 residents of occupied territories fighting for Russia to 15 years in prison
Illustrative purposes: Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin, 21, stands inside a cage after he was sentenced to life in prison by a Ukrainian court for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia's Feb. 24 invasion, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 23, 2022 (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Four residents of occupied Ukrainian territories, who served in the Russian Armed Forces and fought against Ukraine in the eastern and southern part of the country, have been sentenced to 15 years in prison for treason, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on March 29.

The four individuals were involved in Russian "meat grinder" attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Robotyne region of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to the SBU.

The individuals, captured during combat, are from occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, as well as Crimea. According to the SBU, the individuals all voluntarily mobilized during the first year of Russia's full-scale invasion.

A Ukrainian court found them guilty based on evidence gathered by the SBU.

Under Ukraine's Criminal Code, two of the individuals were charged with treason under martial law, participating in a terrorist group, and involvement in unauthorized armed formations, while the other two were charged with treason and collaborative activity.

Robotyne sits by the main road toward Russian-occupied Tokmak and further to occupied Melitopol, one of the key logistic hubs for Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

Russian forces have been increasing attacks near Robotyne in recent weeks, attempting to gain further ground after the capture of Avdiivka.

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Sonya Bandouil

North American news editor

Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC. Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.

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The Kyiv Independent staff documented what it feels like to live and sleep in Kyiv, Ukraine, as Russia intensifies its drone and missile attacks on the city. Filmed over several weeks in June and July, our journalists take shelter in bathrooms, basements, and parking garages as explosions ring out overhead.

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