In the DPR, a British mercenary was sentenced in absentia to 14.5 years in a penal colony

In the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), a court sentenced Christopher Garrett, a mercenary from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to 14.5 years in a penal colony in absentia. This was announced on March 18 by the regional prosecutor's office.

It was established that from January 2015 to December 2017, Garrett arrived in Ukraine and joined the nationalist association Azov (recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation). He also participated in combat operations on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

At the end of 2017, the man left Ukraine, but returned in February 2022 and continued to participate in hostilities until November 2024. He received more than 3.5 million rubles for his actions.

"Taking into account the position of the public prosecutor, the court sentenced Garrett in absentia to 14 years and 6 months in prison to serve his sentence in a high—security penal colony," the agency's website says.

On March 13, a court sentenced Mikhail Baturin, a Georgian mercenary who participated in the invasion of the Kursk region, to 25 years in prison in absentia. For a long time, the defendant was engaged in the recruitment, training and financing of Ukrainian mercenaries, and also took a direct part in the fighting for money. The accused has been put on the international wanted list.