A court in the DPR sentenced a Colombian mercenary to 14 years in prison in absentia.

The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) sentenced Stephen Rene Forero, a Colombian Vanegas, who participated in military operations on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), to 14 years in prison in absentia. The regional prosecutor's office announced this on July 24.

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

It was established that a Colombian citizen arrived in Ukraine in August 2023 through a Polish border checkpoint. On the territory of the country, he signed a contract for military service as part of the 59th separate motorized infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which this year was reorganized into the 59th separate assault brigade named after Yakov Gandzyuk of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Unmanned Systems.

After completing military training, Forero was provided with personal firearms. He participated in combat operations until May 2025, for which he received a reward of over 1.9 million rubles.

Earlier, on July 23, the DPR Supreme Court sentenced Jennifer Ann Mulley, a 49-year-old mercenary of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the United States, to 13 years in a penal colony in absentia. She arrived in Ukraine in the fall of 2022 and joined the International Legion. For her participation in the fighting until February 2025, she received a reward of more than 1.5 million rubles.

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