MOSCOW. Oct 21 (Interfax) - A court in Russia sentenced U.S. citizen Justin Mishler, who fought on the side of Ukraine, to 14 years in a penal colony in absentia and put him on the international wanted list.
"The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic has handed down a sentence in absentia in a criminal case against Justin Mishler, 32, a citizen of the United States. He was found guilty of a crime envisaged by Part 3 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code (participation by a mercenary in a military conflict)," the Russian Prosecutor General's Office said on Monday.
The court sentenced Mishler in absentia to 14 years in a high-security colony.
The Russian Investigative Committee said "Mishler arrived at the permanent deployment point of the International Legion inUkraine and voluntarily joined it as a mercenary" in 2022.
"Mishler was provided with personal firearms, munitions, uniform and special equipment. He underwent military training to learn to handle combat weapons, and also received training in strategy and tactics of military conflicts at the International Legion's training bases," the committee said.
After the training, Mishler "was directly involved in military action in the Donetsk People's Republic on the side of Ukrainian defense and security agencies, receiving regular payments for that," the Investigative Committee said.
Mishler has been put on the international wanted list, the committee said.