Court sentences former AFU officer from Crimea in absentia

Kyiv has convicted a former Ukrainian Armed Forces officer from Crimea in absentia of high treason and sentenced him to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation.

Prior to the occupation of Crimea, the military held the position of senior engineer, but after the capture of the peninsula, he did not report to his new place of service and voluntarily went over to the enemy. According to the investigation, he repeatedly participated in propaganda filming for Russian media.

Subsequently, the accused became a division commander of a Russian military unit in Crimea and is now participating in the war against Ukraine, trying to shoot down Ukrainian missiles and drones.

In the occupied Crimea, 1500 cases have been opened against those who disagree with the policy of the Russian Federation. There are both women and men among the repressed. According to statistics, 51% of the decisions concern women, and 49% concern men. In addition, as of August 25, 222 people are illegally imprisoned in Crimea, most of whom - 133 - are representatives of the Crimean Tatar people.

According to Krym.Realii, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has also been trying teenagers, and the number of articles is growing: high treason, sabotage, terrorism, and justification of terrorism. In the first half of 2025, at least 42 teenagers were detained in the aggressor country on charges of serious crimes. In particular, every fourth person convicted of sabotage in Russia is only 14 to 17 years old.

Meanwhile, the occupation parliament of the Russian Federation approved a new anthem of Crimea. The music for the new anthem of the peninsula was composed by the collaborator Olga Kovitidi, a former Crimean senator from Russia, and Russian poet Ilya Reznik. Their version of the anthem won the competition announced by the State Council of the Republic of Crimea. In total, 122 applications were submitted to the open competition.

Катерина Глушко