The so-called Henichesk District Court in the temporarily occupied territory (TOT) of the Kherson region in absentia handed down sentences to two men, accusing them of participating in “an illegal armed formation”.
This is reported by Russia-controlled media.
According to Russian security forces, since February 2016 the men allegedly voluntarily joined the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Noman Chelebidzhikhan. In Russia this unit is recognized as a terrorist organization.
The occupation investigation claims that one of the convicted served on guard duty near the administrative border with occupied Crimea and inspected vehicles, the other – supplied battalion members with food and transported people.
One man was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months of imprisonment, the other – to 8 years and 6 months. Both were ordered to serve their punishment in a strict-regime colony.
In addition, the men were allegedly placed on an international wanted list.
Recall that, according to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, since the start of the full-scale invasion in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region there have been illegally detained 36 Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians, whom the Russians accused of participating in the battalion named after Chelebidzhikhan.