Russian man who the Federal Security Service (FSB) says planned to fight for Ukraine was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail, a report said. Sergey Ulukshonov, a 30-year-old resident of the city of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, was sentenced by a regional court, Newsweek reported quoting pro-Kremlin news outlet Kommersant.
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Sergey Ulukshonov was accused of planning to join Ukraine's armed forces and fight against Russia in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine which began on February 24. Sergey Ulukshonov was found guilty of preparing to participate in an armed formation on the territory of a foreign state, the report said citing court documents, in which he is accused of sharing "Nazi views".
The 30-year-old was accused of studying "pro-Ukrainian websites" in the spring of 2022 and of communicating with the Ukrainian side.
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According to Kommersant, Sergey Ulukshonov was in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, which borders Ukraine and allegedly phoned a representative of the Security Service of Ukraine, who explained to him how to illegally cross the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. Sergey Ulukshonov was subsequently detained on April 8 by Belarusian border guards, who handed him over to the FSB, the report said.
{{/usCountry}}According to Kommersant, Sergey Ulukshonov was in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, which borders Ukraine and allegedly phoned a representative of the Security Service of Ukraine, who explained to him how to illegally cross the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. Sergey Ulukshonov was subsequently detained on April 8 by Belarusian border guards, who handed him over to the FSB, the report said.
{{/usCountry}}The court documents describe him as "an ardent opponent of the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation."
In July, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a law that equates defection to high treason, with a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.