Russian Court Hands Prison Terms To Four Residents Of Occupied Crimea

A court in Russia's southwestern city of Rostov-on-Don handed prison terms to four residents of Ukraine's Russian-annexed Crimea on June 19 on terrorism charges. Mykola Lahutin, Valentyn Khoroshayev, Andriy Kuliyev, and Danylo Reshetnichenko were sentenced to prison terms between seven and 7 1/2 years on charges of plotting a terrorist attack, justification of terrorism, and illegal explosive possession. Reshetnichenko was convicted of justifying terrorism and sentenced to two years in an open penal colony. All defendants pleaded not guilty. After annexing Crimea in 2014, Russian authorities have jailed on terrorism charges dozens of Crimeans who opposed the annexation. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.