A Georgian mercenary who invaded the Kursk region was sentenced in absentia to 25 years

The Second Western District Military Court sentenced Mikhail Baturin, a Georgian mercenary who participated in the invasion of the Kursk region, to 25 years in prison in absentia. This was reported on March 13 by the Investigative Committee (IC) of Russia.

"He was found guilty of committing a terrorist act on the territory of the Kursk region and mercenary activities (paragraphs "a", "b", part 2, Article 205, Part 3, Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation)," the department's Telegram channel clarifies.

It has been established that the person involved has been recruiting, training and financing Ukrainian mercenaries for a long time, and is also directly involved in combat operations as a mercenary for money. In addition, in September 2024, a mercenary in the armed forces of Ukraine illegally invaded the territory of the Russian Federation and committed crimes against civilians.

The accused was given a preventive measure in absentia in the form of imprisonment for a term of 25 years with serving the first six years in prison, and the rest in a high—security penal colony. The court ordered the confiscation of funds in the amount of more than 2.6 million rubles received by Baturin as a mercenary.

The accused has been put on the international wanted list.

Earlier, on March 12, a court sentenced Robert Wertman, an American mercenary, to 23 years in prison in absentia. According to the information of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, he participated in the conflict for a monetary reward. In September 2024, as part of the Ukrainian army units, he invaded the territory of the Kursk region and committed crimes against the civilian population.