'Ukrainian saboteurs' Dudka, Bessarabov sentenced to 14 years in prison
A "court" in Sevastopol has given a verdict against two suspects in the so-called case of Ukrainian saboteurs Volodymyr Dudka and Oleksiy Bessarabov, sentencing them both to 14 years in prison, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
"Sentenced to 14 years in prison," a representative of the "court" told journalists.
On November 9, 2016, employees of the Crimean think tank Nomos Dmytro Shtyblikov and Oleksiy Bessarabov, as well as their friend Volodymyr Dudka, were detained in Sevastopol. All of them were charged with allegedly plotting acts of sabotage in Crimea at the request of Ukrainian intelligence services.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the Ukrainian citizens detained in Crimea were not SBU employees.
On November 16, 2017, the Russian-controlled Sevastopol City Court sentenced Shtyblikov to five years of imprisonment in a high-security colony and fined him UAH 95,000.
On July 31, 2018, the Kremlin-controlled Sevastopol City Court extended the arrest of Dudka and Bessarabov for six months.
On February 21, 2019, Dudka testified in the Kremlin-controlled Sevastopol City and stated his innocence and the falsification of the investigation.
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