In Latvia, a man was sentenced to prison for participating in the war against Ukraine
- Author:
- Liza Brovko
- Date:
The Latvian prosecutorʼs office said that a Latvian citizen was sentenced to six years in prison with two years of probation for participating in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia.
This is reported by the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT.
The Riga City Court approved the agreement between the prosecutor and the defendant on the admission of guilt and the imposition of a sentence.
The prosecutor proved that the man violated Latviaʼs national security law, which prohibits serving in foreign armed forces, because he joined the Russian army in 2023. He was then sent to Chelyabinsk, where he served in an artillery unit of the 80th Tank Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces.
In the fall of 2024, the Latvian citizen was sent to the combat zone in the Donetsk region. There, he built defensive fortifications for the Russian occupiers, and also participated in tactical combat operations and shooting training.
Latvian law enforcement officers detained the man on October 7 when he attempted to illegally cross the border from Russia.
- Russia often recruits foreigners into its war with Ukraine through deception, such as offering jobs. An investigation by the Russian publication “Important Stories” found that mercenaries from at least 48 countries are fighting on Russia’s side.
- Currently, there are established facts of recruitment into the Russian army of citizens of Nepal, India, Syria, Serbia and Somalia. The Russian Federation also recruited illegal migrants from the Finnish border into its army who were trying to get to the EU through Russia. As for citizens of Nepal and India, some of them are already in captivity or have died. There are already videos on social networks with Africans as part of the Russian occupation forces in Ukraine.
- In April 2025, Volodymyr Zelensky said that two Chinese citizens who fought as part of the Russian army were captured in the Donetsk region.
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