ROSTOV-ON-DON. July 25 (Interfax-South) - The North Caucasus military district court has sentenced Yuri Budanov to 10 years imprisonment in a high security facility for murdering Elza Kungayeva, a young Chechen woman.
It declared him mentally fit and stripped him of the rank of colonel and of his Order of Courage, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courtroom.
Budanov was declared guilty of all charges brought against him - abuse of power, abduction and murder.
As his abuses of power had been numerous the court deemed them an aggravating circumstance.
Among extenuating circumstances the court named the defendant's physical condition, the fact that Budanov is the father of two children and that he had regretted his deeds.
The sentence was based on testimony given by the colonel on March 28, 2000, the day after the murder.
Budanov listened to the sentence in silence, removing the cotton which he had used to plug his ears over the past few days.