Russia Sentences Aleko Elisashvili to Six Years in Prison in Absentia for Fighting in Ukraine
A Russian Court has sentenced Aleko Elisashvili, a Georgian citizen and leader of the opposition Citizens Party, to six years in prison in absentia over fighting against Russian forces in Ukraine.
Elisashvili, currently in Georgia campaigning for the partially boycotted October 4 local election as part of the Lelo/Strong Georgia alliance, was charged under Part 3 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict. He has been placed on the international wanted list, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported on August 13.
The committee alleges Elisashvili joined an armed formation in Ukraine in 2022, underwent military training, “carried out orders from a higher command for monetary compensation and participated as a mercenary in military operations against servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”
The sentence follows an August 4 statement from Russian prosecutors that Elisashvili had been charged in absentia and that his case had been sent to the occupation authorities of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” for trial.
Elisashvili, then a Georgian MP, volunteered to fight in Ukraine shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and returned to Georgia about a month later after reportedly taking part in combat, including on the frontline in Irpin during Ukraine’s military campaign to reclaim control over the satellite town northwest of Kyiv, the capital.
Earlier, Russian authorities sentenced another Georgian citizen, Zurab Karchava, to six and a half years in prison in absentia on similar charges.
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