A Russian court on the annexed peninsula of Crimea has handed down prison sentences of up to 16 years to five Ukrainian citizens accused of sharing military intelligence with Kyiv, state media reported Monday.
The men were charged with treason and espionage after sharing information on the location and movements of Russian army units that helped the Ukrainian army target aerial strikes, the FSB security service alleged.
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The information "was used by paramilitary formations in Ukraine to adjust their artillery and rocket strikes on Russian army positions," the FSB said in a statement cited by state news agencies.
They were handed prison sentences of between 11 and 16 years, the FSB said.
Russian authorities, including in parts of Ukraine under their control, have arrested dozens of people for allegedly collaborating with Kyiv since the start of the two-year conflict.
The FSB said separately on Monday it had arrested a man who used to work for Russian technology giant Yandex over sending money to a Ukrainian charity that bought equipment and weapons for its armed forces.
The agency said it "suppressed the illegal activities of a former Yandex employee in the Nizhny Novgorod region, who was involved in committing treason in the form of providing financial assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces," Russian state media reported.
Those found guilty of treason can be sentenced to life in prison under a stricter criminal code passed by Russia after it sent troops into Ukraine.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November, 21, 2024
The state-run TASS news agency published an FSB video showing masked agents running to detain a man, pushing him to the floor and handcuffing him.
In an interview where his face was blurred and voice changed, he said he had transferred funds to a Ukrainian charity and that he had a "negative" opinion of the Russian authorities.
Since ordering troops into Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several cases of Russians being arrested for transferring money to Ukraine, humanitarian agencies working in Ukraine or funds supporting the Ukrainian army.
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