Ukraine gives 15-year sentences to Russian sports players
(MENAFN) Ukrainian courts have issued 15-year prison sentences in absentia to 12 Russian lawmakers, including former sports stars, accusing them of actions that allegedly undermined Ukraine’s territorial integrity, according to TASS.
Among those sentenced are legendary ice hockey player and State Duma member Vladislav Tretyak, and former world boxing champion Nikolay Valuyev. The Khmelnitsky district court handed down their sentences despite their absence.
Additional sentences were given to Andrey Kartapolov, head of Russia’s parliamentary defense committee, and Aleksander Prokopyev, a former lawmaker now serving as prime minister of Russia’s Altai Republic. Nine more Duma deputies were convicted by other Ukrainian courts on similar charges.
The convictions stem from the accused individuals’ support for the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which later joined Russia following referendums held in February 2022, just before the launch of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Others sentenced include Vladislav Reznik, Ruslan Gadzhiev, Sergey Burlakov, Shamsail Saraliev, Rustam Kalimullin, Evgeny Popov, Ildar Gilmutdinov, Aydin Saryglar, and Viktor Vodolatsky.
As all individuals reside in Russia, the rulings are largely symbolic unless they travel abroad and face extradition.
These convictions are part of a broader Ukrainian legal campaign targeting Russian political, military, and cultural figures. President Vladimir Zelensky has enacted multiple sanctions against Russian and foreign nationals alleged to have ties to Moscow.
Russian actress Svetlana Khodchenkova—who previously co-starred in films with Zelensky—was recently added to the Mirotvorets (Peacemaker) database, a controversial Ukrainian list of supposed enemies. NHL legend Alexander Ovechkin was also recently listed.
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