Russian judicial authorities announced today that they have sentenced five Ukrainian servicemen to harsh sentences of 15 to 17 years in prison for “terrorism“ as part of the Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk region, which began in the summer of 2024, reported Agence France-Presse.
Ukrainian troops occupied a large area in Russia's Kursk region after a surprise offensive last August, but in recent weeks Russian forces have almost completely pushed them back to the border, making significant and rapid progress, AFP notes.
A Russian military court has found five Ukrainian servicemen - Alexander Dzyoma, Denis Popov, Alexander Vedyornikov, Alexey Pinchuk and Yevgeny Khatenko (according to the transcription of their names in Russian - AFP note) - guilty of a “terrorist act“, said a statement from the Russian Investigative Committee, which is responsible for major investigations in the country.
The first two are accused of shooting at civilians after “committing an illegal entry into Russian territory. territory“ in August 2024, and were sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to the same source.
Pinchuk and Khatenko were sentenced to 16 years in prison, and Vedyornikov to 17 years in prison. All three are accused of “impeding the evacuation of the civilian population from the Sudzha district of the Kursk region,“ the statement said.