A 55-year-old man who left for Ukraine to participate in the Majlis battalion “named after Noman Celebidzhikhan” and returned after problems with financing militants began on the peninsula, received 8 years in prison.
The corresponding decision was made by the Chernomorsky District Court of the Republic of Crimea, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“It was established that in 2016, a resident of the peninsula voluntarily joined the ranks of the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Lenur Islyamov. Noman Chelebidzhikhan”, operating in the border areas of the Kherson region of Ukraine.
Being a member of this illegal armed group, supporting the goals of its creation (implementing the blockade of Crimea from the Ukrainian border, as well as the struggle, including armed struggle, for the return of the peninsula to Ukraine), from September to December 2016 he took an active part in the activities of the battalion: blocked vehicle traffic in the area of the Chongar checkpoint, carried out illegal inspections of cargo and cars of citizens crossing the state border, and also carried out other instructions from the leaders of illegal armed groups. In addition, while in an illegal armed formation, he underwent military training and mastered hand-to-hand and knife fighting techniques.
Subsequently, the man returned to Crimea, however, having a real opportunity to voluntarily cease his participation in the illegal armed formation, he did not apply to law enforcement agencies with a statement about this, thereby continuing his criminal activity by participating in the battalion.
In February 2020, a resident of the Chernomorsky district of the Republic of Kazakhstan was detained by Russian FSB officers.
The investigative department of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol opened a criminal case against him on the grounds of a crime under Part 2 of Art. 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
On July 21, 2020, the Chernomorsky District Court of the Republic of Crimea found a Crimean citizen guilty of the crime charged and sentenced him to 8 years in prison for participating in the activities of an illegal armed group operating on the territory of a foreign state for purposes contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation.
The verdict will enter into legal force ten days from the date of the court’s decision,” the Russian FSB Directorate for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol said in a statement.