A Japanese mercenary who fought for the Armed Forces of Ukraine was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in a penal colony in the DPR.

The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) sentenced Takao Tainaki, a mercenary from Japan who fought for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), to 14 years in a high-security penal colony in absentia. This was reported on November 14 on the website of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation.

"The Supreme Court of the DPR has pronounced a verdict in absentia in a criminal case against 38-year-old Japanese citizen Takao Tainaki. He was found guilty under Part 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict")," the report says.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, in early 2023, Tainaki joined the International Legion of Ukraine and took part in combat operations against Russian military personnel until the summer of 2025.

It is noted that the mercenary received more than 2.6 million rubles. He is currently on the international wanted list.

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Earlier, on November 10, a court in the DPR sentenced two Colombian mercenaries, Jose Aron Medina Aranda and Alexander Ante, to 13 years of strict regime. According to the press service of the department, until July 2024, they took part in hostilities against the Russian Federation, and later they were extradited from Venezuela.

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