You're reading: Kazakh man sentenced to five years in jail for fighting in Ukraine

ASTANA - The N2 court in the Saryarka District of Astana issued a guilty verdict to a 30-year-old Kazakhstani, Yevgeny Vdovenko, for his participation in Ukrainian hostilities on the side of Kremlin-led militants.

“The state prosecutor asked for a five-year prison term. Yevgeny Vdovenko has been found guilty and sentenced to five years at a high-security correctional institution,” his lawyer Talgat Akhtanov told Interfax.

He said his client is not content with the verdict and is planning to appeal.

He was accused of a crime stipulated in Article 162-1 (participation in foreign armed conflicts) of the Kazakhstan Criminal Code. Vdovenko told the court that he had sided with militants for ideological reasons.

It was reported that Vdovenko fought on the side of militants.