Donetsk resident fought on the side of Russia in Kherson region and was sentenced to life imprisonment

A resident of Donetsk was sentenced to life in prison for participating in the war on the side of Russia. He fought against the Ukrainian military in the Kherson and Donetsk regions and was sentenced for treason.

This was reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism with reference to the court verdict.

The Sosnivsky District Court of Cherkasy found Roman Pashchenko, a citizen of Ukraine, guilty of treason in absentia and sentenced him to life imprisonment with confiscation of all property.

The court found that in April 2022, Pashchenko, a native of Donetsk, voluntarily joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. He joined the motorized rifle battalion of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps, a formation within the Russian occupation army.

The court verdict states that Pashchenko took an active part in hostilities against the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Kherson and Donetsk regions. As early as April 2023, he held the position of senior gunner of a howitzer self-propelled artillery division.

The investigation managed to gather evidence, including Pashchenko's correspondence with an acquaintance on a Russian social network, in which he boasted of participating in battles against the Ukrainian military and called them "Nazis."

The case file also includes the testimony of a man who called himself a distant relative of Pashchenko. He said that he had known him since 2007, when he saw him at his wedding. According to the witness, in the spring of 2022, the occupation military enlistment office in Donetsk mobilized him along with Pashchenko, who was later sent to serve near Kherson.

Roman Pashchenko was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - high treason committed under martial law. The verdict has not yet entered into force.

A man who sided with the Russian occupiers during the full-scale invasion was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for treason. In February 2022, he joined the armed forces of the so-called dpr, and later - the Russian forces, where he served in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region.

The head of the Cossack regiment will be tried for participating in the occupation of Crimea and cooperation with the Russian military. He is accused of creating an armed unit, seizing state institutions and treason, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Анна Бальчінос