Russian Court Sentences Polish Man for Fighting for Ukraine
A Russian court in occupied Luhansk has sentenced a 47-year-old Polish man, Krzysztof Flaczek, to 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony for fighting on the side of Ukraine.
According to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, he arrived in Ukraine in September 2024, underwent military training and later took part in combat operations.
Moscow also claims he received financial remuneration for his involvement. He was detained in November 2024.
Russian authorities are prosecuting several foreign volunteers who have fought for Ukraine. Flaczek was tried in the region, which Russia claims as its own following its annexation in 2022, a move rejected as illegal by Kyiv and Western countries.
Russian courts have also convicted other Western European citizens, including Britons, in similar cases.