You're reading: Ukrainian court sentences military pilot to 12 years in prison for high treason, ‘provision of secret data’ to Russia

The Starokostiantynivsky District Court of Khmelnytsky Oblast has found a former Ukrainian Air Force major guilty of high treason and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

“It was proven that the major, acting deliberately, provided to representatives of the Russian Federation information constituting a state secret, namely: full information on the plan of a military spy plane flight, which made it possible for the foreign state to plan events to counter and lessen the effectiveness of the implementation of the special task,” the department on public relations and liaison with the media of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said in a report released on June 23.

In addition, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said the pilot had refused to fulfill the flight navigator’s lawful demand to direct the plane on a planned route and deviated from the route while on a special flight.

The court took into account all circumstances and found the pilot guilty of high treason. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was stripped of his major rank.