In Russia, a court sentenced 22-year-old former Russian soldier Anton Khozhaev, who opposed the war with Ukraine, to 23 years in prison and a fine of 590,000 rubles. He will serve the first five years in prison, the rest in a maximum-security colony.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Radio Liberty .

Khozhaev was found guilty of high treason, desertion, participation in the activities of a terrorist organization, money laundering and preparation for a crime. According to the investigation, Khozhaev provided data on the location of Russian military facilities and drones for a monetary reward, and collaborated with the “Russian Freedom” legion and the Crimean partisan movement “Atesh”.

Khozhayev pleaded not guilty. During the court debates, he said that he “simply wanted to help the neighboring people restore peace on their land” and “drive out the occupiers.” “Please stop calling me a military man, I do not want to be associated with bio-waste in the form of the Russian army – it is a dirty dump, as all the events after February 24, 2022 have proven… And in conclusion of my last words, I would like to address the entire Ukrainian people. My friends, do not be afraid, be braver, fight.”

Anton Khozhaev graduated from the Military Aviation Technical University and was enrolled in the Air Force Training Center in 2020, at the faculty of unmanned aviation. In the spring of 2022, he spoke out against the war with Ukraine and filed a report for expulsion from the university, but was unable to terminate his contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. He was later detained by FSB officers while trying to cross the border with Ukraine.

Author:  Volodymyr Yanchenko Джерело: https://censor.net/ua/n3563716

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