Ukrainian Journalist Stanislav Aseev Sentenced to 15 Years in Occupied Donbas

Ukrainian journalist Stanislav Aseev was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the decision of the so-called “Supreme Court” of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People's Republic” in east Ukraine. This was stated by the “DPR Prosecutor General's Office,” according to a separatist resource "Donetsk news agency."

Aseev was also deprived of his right to engage in journalistic activities for 2.5 years.

According to the Russia-backed occupying authorities, from March 2015 to May 2017, Aseev conducted a visual reconnaissance of the so-called “DPR People's Militia” units and passed the data to the representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine. The case file also claims that Aseev recruited pro-Ukrainian users on social networks to collect and transmit information of a military or other nature.

The "court" found Aseev guilty under the articles "organization of the extremist community", "espionage and incitement to espionage", "public calls for the exercise of extremist activity", "public calls for actions aimed at violating territorial integrity". Aseev is supposed to serve his sentence in a penal colony.

READ MORE: Journalist Stanislav Aseev Imprisoned in Donetsk Factory

Aseev has been held captive by “DNR” fighters since June 2017. Relatives and colleagues have lost contact with him. The leadership of the self-proclaimed republic initially denied Azeev's detention, and later admitted that he had been detained and suspected of “espionage”.

Stanislav Aseev has lived in Donetsk since the beginning of the occupation and wrote for the Ukrainian media The Ukrainian Week, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, and Radio Liberty under the pseudonym “Stanislav Vasin”.