Armenian Citizen Jailed for 12 Years for Fighting for Ukraine

The Kherson regional court has issued a verdict against Armenian citizen Armen Balyan. He was found guilty under Part 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict) and sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony. This is reported by the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation.

The court considered it established that Balyan, no later than November 2022, arrived in Ukraine via the territory of Moldova, where he joined the 124th Brigade of the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After undergoing the necessary military training, between November 2022 and December 2023, for a remuneration equivalent to 2.3 million rubles, he participated in combat operations against the armed forces of the Russian Federation. These operations took place in the territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as the Kherson region.

According to the prosecution, after being wounded several times, Balyan deserted and left the territory of Ukraine. However, in October 2024, he was arrested at Moscow's "Domodedovo" airport.

Taking into account the position of the state prosecution, the court sentenced Balyan to 12 years of imprisonment. In addition, by the court's decision, the entire amount received as a result of criminal activity—2.3 million rubles—was confiscated from him, which will be transferred to the state budget.

This is not the first such verdict against a foreign citizen. On September 29, the court sentenced Italian citizen Giulia Jasmine Schiff in absentia to 14 years of strict regime imprisonment for participating in combat operations on the side of Ukraine. According to the investigation, from March to November 2022, she fought against Russian servicemen as part of the Ukrainian armed forces. Schiff has been placed on an international wanted list.