Russia jails Barman for 25 years for joining pro-Ukrainian combat unit

Moscow:

Russia on Thursday sentenced a bartender to 25 years in prison for joining a unit of Russians fighting for Ukraine and carrying out sabotage of railway equipment.

Russia has reported numerous incidents of sabotage since the start of its “special military operation” in Ukraine in 2022, many of them targeting railways, and courts have handed down harsh sentences to people linked to pro-Ukrainian armed groups.

A Moscow military court found Vladimir Malina, 36, who worked at a restaurant in the Moscow region, guilty of treason and several charges of terrorism and sabotage, including membership in a terrorist organization.

Malina set fire to a railway gearbox last year after joining Russia’s Legion of Freedom, a group of fighters who say they took part in daring cross-border attacks in Ukraine, prosecutors said in a statement.

They said a Legion handler gave orders to Malina and in April last year set fire to equipment controlling a railway level crossing in the Moscow region.

He later tried to set fire to several other relay offices and a police station before being detained later that year, prosecutors said.

At a previous hearing, Malina partially admitted guilt but denied treason, the TASS news agency reported.

Earlier Thursday, Russian media reported that a student who agreed to publish pamphlets about the Legion was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Last month, Russia sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for planning to fight alongside Ukraine.

Russia has reported nearly 200 acts of sabotage on its rail network since it sent troops into Ukraine two years ago, blaming most of them on Kiev and its supporters.

Ukraine denies responsibility for sabotage or support for party groups inside Russia.

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