The court in Kharkiv handed down the first life sentence since the beginning of the war in a case for treason
The Poltava Court of Appeal upheld the sentence of a 39-year-old man from Kharkiv who was sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. About this reported Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office. The sentence set a precedent – the first time in Kharkiv that a person received a life sentence for treason since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
The investigation established that in February-April 2022, the convict gave the coordinates of Ukrainian military and civilian objects in Kharkiv to the Russian troops, among which was the building of the Kharkiv Regional Administration. Russian forces attacked this administrative building with ballistic missiles on March 1, 2022, killing 44 people.
In November 2023, the Kyiv District Court of Kharkiv found the man guilty of treason, justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and illegal handling of weapons. The court sentenced him to the maximum punishment – life imprisonment with confiscation of property. According to the media, it is about Denys Panikarov, although the prosecutor’s office did not disclose his name.
The defendant’s defense filed an appeal, but on August 28, the Poltava Court of Appeal rejected it, leaving the sentence in effect. In court, Panikarov denied his guilt and stated that he did not understand the reasons for his detention. He also told reporters that he hopes to be exchanged and plans to return to Russia, where his relatives and friends live.
