A court sentenced the former deputy commander of the Crimean Berkut unit to 15 years in prison (in absentia) for abuse of power, which led to the injury of 20 protesters in 2013. The court's decision was announced at the Prosecutor General's Office.
According to information from the prosecutor's office, the court also imposed a sentence of deprivation of the right to hold positions in state and law enforcement agencies for a period of three years and deprived the convict of the special rank of lieutenant colonel of the police.
The prosecution proved in court that the lieutenant colonel, acting beyond his authority, participated in the suppression of protests in December 2013, using violence. These events resulted in bodily injuries to 20 people.
Since the beginning of March 2014, the convict has been in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, where he is assisting representatives of the Russian Federation in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine.
The trial was conducted under a special procedure “in absentia” due to the fact that the defendant is hiding in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
