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Donetsk resident charged over allegedly fighting for Russia in Mariupol, elsewhere

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Donetsk resident charged over allegedly fighting for Russia in Mariupol, elsewhere
A Donetsk resident suspected of fighting for Russia in the full-scale war. Photo published on Dec. 14, 2023. (SBU/Telegram)

A Donetsk resident was charged with treason over voluntarily fighting for Russian forces, namely in Mariupol and Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Dec. 14.

Russia has occupied part of Donetsk Oblast since 2014. While some residents of occupied territories have willingly collaborated with Russia, Moscow has also reportedly coerced locals into their ranks.

According to the SBU, the man voluntarily joined a motorized rifle regiment of Russia's Southern Military District at the start of the full-scale invasion.

He was appointed to the position of a machine gunner and took part in the Russian conquests of Mariupol and Volnovakha, the SBU said. After these battles, he was allegedly awarded a medal for combat merit.

The suspect was later transferred to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where his unit was tasked with holding off Ukraine's counteroffensive, according to the security service.

Ukrainian forces captured the man in late November during engagements in the Melitopol direction, the SBU said.

He is currently in custody and faces life in prison.

Three residents of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts were sentenced to prison sentences last week over fighting in Russian ranks.

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Editor’s note: The location of the prisoner of the war camp the Kyiv Independent visited is undisclosed for security reasons. The Kyiv Independent got vocal recorded agreement from the prisoners of the war to be interviewed and identified in the story. When Yevhen Kalashnikov found an opening to su…
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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