A court in the DPR sentenced a mercenary from the United States who fought for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 14 years in a penal colony in absentia.

The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) has sentenced 37-year-old US citizen Andrew Richard Brent, who participated in military operations on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), to 14 years in prison in absentia. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office announced this on July 29.

"The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic has pronounced a verdict in absentia in a criminal case against 37-year-old citizen of the United States of America, Andrew Richard Brens. 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 ministry said in a statement posted on its official website.

According to investigators, in 2023, Brent arrived in Ukraine through Poland, where he voluntarily joined the 4th Battalion of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine as a mercenary.

It is specified that later the man underwent military training aimed at acquiring skills, tactics and methods of warfare. In addition, Brent was given firearms and special equipment.

In the period from 2023 to May 2025, he participated in combat operations against members of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. For this, Brent was paid more than 1.9 million rubles.

It is noted that the person involved in the case was put on the international wanted list. Brent was sentenced to 14 years in prison to serve his sentence in a high-security penal colony.

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The day before, it was reported that Rodrigo Cristian Carvallo, a mercenary from Paraguay who participated in the fighting as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was sentenced in absentia to 24 years of strict regime. It is specified that he must serve the first four years in prison.

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