Russian-imposed authorities in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk -- which Moscow claims to control -- have sentenced a well-known Ukrainian human rights defender to 13 years in prison.
Russia's Investigative Committee said on March 10 that along with Maksym Butkevych, de facto courts in parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that Moscow annexed following a referendum last September even though it doesn't fully control them also sentenced Ukrainian soldiers Vladyslav Shel and Viktor Pokhozey to 18 1/2 and 8 1/2 years in prison, respectively.
According to the Investigative Committee, the three Ukrainians were found guilty of "cruelty against civilians and using banned methods in an armed conflict."
Butkevych was additionally convicted of "two attempted murders and the premeditated damage of others' property," while Shel was found guilty of "attempted murder based on ideological and ethnic hatred."
In addition to his human rights activities, Butkevych is also a journalist and a well-known public figure in Ukraine.
He is a co-founder of the Hromadske radio (Public radio) station that has a series of special programs for residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Just days after Russia launched its ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in late February last year, Butkevych joined Ukraine's armed forces.
In July, Butkevych's mother recognized him on a video showing soldiers captured by Russia's invading forces near the towns of Zolote and Hirne in the Luhansk region.
She says that she has had no contact with her son since his capture. She has been trying to free him from Russian captivity in prisoner swaps that have taken place sporadically over the past year since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Butkevych was known for raising awareness of the problems faced by refugees even before the Russian invasion.
He gained prominence for his calls to amend Ukraine's migration regulations for Belarusian nationals who fled en masse to Ukraine following the ongoing crackdown on dissent that started after the disputed presidential election in Belarus in August 2020.