Mariupol resident sentenced to 18 years for alleged “state treason” in Russia

According to Ukrinform, the Mariupol Ukrainian City Council reported this via Telegram.

“The 55-year-old Mariupol resident, Andrii Lazarenko, was sentenced in Yekaterinburg to 18 years in a strict-regime colony for alleged ‘state treason’,” the message reads.

The statement notes that the occupation court accused the man of allegedly “contacting the Armed Forces of Ukraine” and “agreeing to set fire to a military enlistment office in Mordovia,” claiming that “the FSB detained him at the scene of the arson.” No independent investigation was conducted, the City Council underscored.

According to the Center for the Study of Occupation, Lazarenko stated that he had been detained at home, taken to a special detention facility, and forced to write a confession under threats and pressure. His defense maintains that he was framed by an acquaintance who possessed a smartphone and used a SIM card registered in Lazarenko’s name.

The City Council explained that Lazarenko had lived his entire life in Mariupol and remained there after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the city’s occupation. In the summer of 2022, he helped four women escape the occupation, but was not allowed to return — Russian authorities blocked his entry. In November 2022, he was forced to obtain a Russian passport and accept Russian citizenship.

As reported, the United Nations has presented a report documenting human rights abuses committed by Russian authorities.

Photo: Mariupol Ukrainian City Council, Telegram