A Polish national has been sentenced to 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony by a court in Russian-controlled Luhansk for allegedly fighting for Ukraine.
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Thursday that Krzysztof Flaczek, 47, arrived in Ukraine in September 2024, underwent training, and began combat operations. Russia claims he received financial compensation and was detained by their forces in November 2024.
Prosecutors stated: “Taking into account the position of the state prosecutor, the court sentenced the militant to 13 years of imprisonment to be served in a maximum-security penal colony.”
The trial took place in Russian-controlled Luhansk, one of four Ukrainian regions Moscow unilaterally claimed in 2022 – a move rejected by Kyiv and Western nations as an illegal land grab. Russian courts have previously sentenced several other Western Europeans, including two Britons, for similar charges.
On Thursday Russia has hammered civilian areas of Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in an attack that stretched for hours from daytime into the night, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 100 others, officials said.
Russia launched nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, primarily targeting civilians, in its biggest aerial barrage in almost two weeks, authorities said.
Moscow’s forces have hit civilian areas almost daily since its all-out invasion of its neighbour more than four years ago, with the regular assaults occasionally punctuated by massive attacks. More than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have died in the strikes, the United Nations says.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the operation was launched “in retaliation” for Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia, where long-range drones and missiles have hit Russian oil refineries and war-related manufacturing plants.
The Russian barrage was aimed at facilities associated with the Ukrainian armed forces, the Defence Ministry claimed.
European Council president Antonio Costa described it as “yet another horrendous attack” while people slept in their homes.
The latest bombardment came in the wake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 48-hour trip this week to Germany, Norway and Italy in an urgent search for more air defence systems that can stop Russian missiles.