National News

Russia jails Ukrainian POW to 19 years

Nov 10, 2023

Kiev [Ukraine], November 10:A Russian military court has sentenced a Ukrainian prisoner of war to 19 years in prison, according to reports in Russian and Ukrainian media on Thursday. The court accused the marine Anton Cherednyk of, among other charges, shooting a civilian during a checkpoint in the now Russian-occupied Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in March 2022. Lawyers for Cherednyk, who was taken prisoner by Russia in April 2022, are reportedly planning to appeal. The Ukrainian soldier admits to shooting a man in Mariupol shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale war against his country. But he emphasized that the man had acted suspiciously beforehand. Russia - which repeatedly justifies its own war with the pretext of ridding Ukraine of alleged "terrorists" and "neo-Nazis" - also accuses Cherednyk of "training to carry out terrorist activities" and "seizing power by force." Ukrainian media criticized the fact that independent lawyers and family members were not allowed to contact Cherednyk. (dpa)