Kyiv sentences Ukrainian colonel to 13 years in prison for treason
On April 7, the Shevchenko District Court in Kyiv sentenced Colonel Ivan Bezyazykov to 13 years in prison for treason, according to a statement published on the website of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that the soldier, having been captured on August 25 2014, had joined the intelligence agency of the pro-Russian militants and had taken up the position of the so-called "deputy head of the 1st Analytical Division".
This subsection of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) was created and controlled by the Russian Armed Forces, the FSB and representatives of the DPR authorities in the territory of the Donetsk region which is not under Ukraine’s control.
Bezyazykov collected intelligence information on the movements of Ukrainian military units, participated in interrogations of captured Ukrainian servicemen. The court recognized that the colonel had acted intentionally and realized that such activities would harm the state security of Ukraine.
The Shevchenko court found Bezyazykov guilty under Article 111 and Article 258-3 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code and imposed a sentence of 13 years in prison with deprivation of military rank.
Bezyazykov's lawyer Oleg Veremienko noted that the court's decision has not gained legal force and will be appealed.